When the Day Met the Night
by Kris Harold
Summary: Prince Tamaki has never had a true friend and now he's fallen ill.A friendship with the commoner girl Haruhi just might be better for him than he could have possibly imagined. TamaHaru
1. Prologue

**When the Day Met the Night**

**Prologue**

Haruhi removed her hat to let her hair fall and wipe the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. She rested her head back on the building she sat against, trying to catch her breath. Her two, red-headed friends came skidding around the corner shortly after. They rested their hands on their knees to catch their breath.

"Did we lose them?" Hikaru gasped.

"Yeah," Kaoru replied equally winded, "I think so."

Haruhi lifted her head to speak to the two. "Did you get the apples?"

Both shook their heads. Hikaru said, "They probably saw us coming."

She nodded in agreement. "Probably," she panted. Haruhi leaned her head back against the wall again and groaned, "I wish my mom was here."

Kaoru straightened. "Come on; we know another place. The parade is starting so no one will notice us."

Hikaru offered his hand to Haruhi. "They have really good bread there," he said.

Her stomach growled at the mention of food and she took his hand. Hikaru pulled her to her feet and she began to dust herself off. She quickly twisted her hair upwards behind her head to place the hat over it, concealing its length. The twins quickly led her off into the crowds of people gathered for the royal parade. The people they silently passed by cast condescending glares that continued to dig into their backs as they walked. Haruhi stayed close to the two boys so as not to lose them.

"I don't even see why you guys are doing this: Why don't you worry about your own food?" she asked.

Hikaru replied, "For starters: it's fun."

Kaoru looked back to smile warmly, "And we promised your parents we'd take care of you."

Her gaze fell to the ground like a heavy weight had been dropped on it at the thought of her mother. The woman recently passed away due to infected injuries from a street brawl on her way to work. Needless to say it still burned fresh in her heart. She dimly wondered if her father had stealing in mind when he asked the twins to take care of her while he was working. She continued to follow silently behind the two until they reached a particularly thick crowd of people.

"Here it is," Hikaru announced, "Hurry, before the parade is over."

Haruhi strode up to the store owner, who stood at the doorway to watch the parade. She asked, "Excuse me, sir? Can you give me directions to the shoe tailor?"

As the man grouchily provided instructions, Hikaru and Kaoru crept inside to retrieve the goods. It didn't take long for them to sneak out again before walking up casually to Haruhi with a few loaves of bread.

"We found it, it's not far from that other place," Kaoru said smoothly.

Haruhi nodded, "Okay," before thanking the man and relieving Kaoru of one of his loaves.

They walked away calmly to not draw suspicion. Moments later, they heard the man realize the thievery furiously and began to hear the barking of dogs. Kaoru whirled around and gasped, "He got _dogs_?"

Hikaru grabbed his brother and instructed the two, "Run!"

Haruhi burst into a run, ducking through the crowd. She heard the dogs behind them and the twins break off in different directions to split up the pursuers. One of the two dogs continued to chase her through the crowd. The crowd grew so dense that she began to be shoved around, no longer moving on her own.

When she finally broke free of the crowd, the ferociously growling dog was at her heels. Attempting to run, Haruhi tripped and rolled out into the cleared street, knocking her hat off to reveal her long locks. She tucked into a ball in defense from the dog, unaware she was in the middle of the royal parade, in front of the king's horse that nearly trampled her. The king's guard held off the dog so it wouldn't upset the horses.

"You there!" a guard barked.

Her head snapped up, guarding her bread under her abdomen. Haruhi immediately saw the horse, grabbed the nearby hat, and backed up slowly. She stood slowly to not startle the horse and kept her gaze on the ground respectfully. She didn't know what to do. Should she apologize? Should she just move to the side?

Meanwhile, the parade's guest of honor watched intently from his horse. His horse walked close to that of his mother's and she noticed his interest. This was his first trip outside the castle and he hadn't seen children his own age for several years. Likewise this was the first time anyone outside the castle had seen the young prince, which was the parade's purpose.

He looked over at his mother hopefully. "May I?" he asked.

She nodded and the boy immediately dismounted the horse, passing the reigns to a nearby guard, and strode ahead of his father's horse. As he neared, his footsteps slowed for reasons unknown to him. His brilliantly-blue silk kimono rustled against his skin as a breeze whispered between them and the crowd was deathly silent. The prince stepped forward and observed the dust-covered girl in front of him.

"Hello," he greeted.

Haruhi continued to stare at the ground.

He lifted his hand to shake hers. "My name is Tamaki Suoh. What's your name?"

She lifted her gaze slowly, glancing around her to examine the situation. Deciding it was safe to respond, she looked up to his eyes and shook his hand. "I'm Haru--"

The twins darted out from the crowd and grabbed Haruhi. Both bowed respectfully, forcing her head down to do so as well, and Hikaru said, "Sorry, your majesties. Our friend is sick from the sun today. We'll take her home right away. She won't bother you again."

Tamaki and Haruhi's hands separated as the twins escorted Haruhi to the side and disappeared into the crowd. Haruhi attempted looking over her shoulder, but the bustle and distance obscured her vision. Tamaki watched her go and numbly retrieved the reigns of his horse from a waiting guard.

He climbed into the horse's saddle silently to ride on with the rest of the parade. Tamaki returned to his mother's side who smiled at him.

A bystander turned to his neighbor and asked, "You don't think the prince _likes_ that girl, do you?"

The other scoffed. "Are you _kidding_? The prince is barely eleven years old!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Haruhi zigzagged through the market with her spoils clutched to her chest. She sped around a corner, threw the food into a waiting basket, and began to scale the ladder to the top of the building before the twins yanked it up out-of-sight. They dug through the basket and passed water to Haruhi.

"It's hot today; don't strain yourself," Kaoru said.

She removed her hat to allow her hair to fall as she accepted the container of water. Haruhi lied back after a long drink to cool down. She stared up at the little white clouds that seemed to dissipate just by looking at them.

Hikaru passed her a pear. "What're you thinking about this time?"

Closing her eyes, she replied, "Nothing."

"It's not nothing," he pressed, "I know that face."

"You'll be mad," she said in a sing-song tone.

Kaoru asked, "Are you thinking about the parade?"

Her silence confirmed their suspicions and Hikaru sighed. "It's been seven years! I doubt he even remembers--"

"If he even cares," Kaoru added.

"He's stuck up and doesn't care about anybody but himself: he's a prince!" Hikaru finished. He groaned, aggravated, "Why do you think about it so much?"

She shrugged. "He just seemed… different, is all."

"Maybe because he's, I dunno, _royalty_?" Hikaru commented sarcastically.

"That doesn't make a difference," she replied sourly. "Besides, I don't think about it _that_ much: just from time to time."

"It _feels_ like you're thinking about it every time we turn around," Hikaru sighed.

She heaved out a deep breath. "I'm sorry, guys. You must get tired of hearing it."

They ate in silence and Haruhi fell deep into thought. After her pear was finished, she found she was no longer hungry. Checking for any signs of the shop owner she had taken the fruit from first, Haruhi lowered the ladder and climbed down with the rest of her share of the goods in tow, ignoring any and all questions from her friends. She tucked her hair up before replacing the tattered, green hat on her head before she could reach the majority of the population.

Thanks to her disguise and appearance, the people she passed assumed she was a boy and therefore didn't bother her. Women weren't treated with much respect unless they had a very high social status like the queen. Her father had even encouraged it when she went out in public. The twins were the first to tell her to do it, especially when going out alone.

She passed by a shaded alley and saw a small girl with an older boy pulling her hair. "Give them back!" he spat.

"I don't have them! I swear I don't!" the girl cried in return.

He yanked on her hair roughly. "Give them to me!"

The girl yelped in pain again and Haruhi strode into the alley, barking, "Hey!" She gripped the boy's wrist and the gripped hair, tearing them apart. "That's enough!"

Once the now-struggling boy's hand released the girl's hair, Haruhi asked, "Now what is this about?"

"She stole my sister's shoes!" he accused.

Haruhi looked down at the girl's bare feet. "Does it _look_ like she has your sister's shoes?"

He looked down at the girl's feet and realized they were nude. "Well, no…"

"Then go home and help your sister find her shoes instead of accusing people of stealing them," Haruhi instructed. She waited until the boy was gone before turning to the girl and holding out her hand.

"All right," Haruhi said, "Hand them over."

Tears stained her face. "What?" she sniffled.

She flexed her fingers in unison. "Come on," Haruhi continued, "Where are they?"

"I--"

"I'm not going to turn you in. Now where are the shoes?"

The girl stared at Haruhi a moment before reaching into an abandoned weaved basket a few feet away. The shoes she withdrew from the basket were toddler-sized, far too small for the girl holding them. Haruhi looked them over and sighed.

"Those are far too small for you," she notified, "So I'll tell you what: take those back in the next few days unless you want him to come back."

Haruhi pulled out a few tangerines from her bag of stolen food. "You can have these, but _only_ if you take those shoes back. I'll know if you don't, and I'll come back," she bargained.

The girl stared hypnotically at the food and nodded vigorously.

Feeling the agreement was sincere, she relinquished the tangerines before Haruhi turned to go back out to the main street, calling back, "Stay out of trouble." Out on the main road she walked aimlessly, deep in thought. She began thinking about the prince and how he must've changed in the years that passed. She wondered how tall he was or if the king and queen had chosen a bride for him yet. She wondered what kingdom she was from and if the prince had met her.

'_How horrible would it be to have an arranged marriage? Though, I suppose he was raised not to question it…_'

Her thoughts began to drift to the queen and the prince's mother. About four years ago, the prince's mother fell gravely ill and passed away. Immediately after, the king had to wed another, who now reigned as queen at the present for political purposes. Haruhi wondered how each of them felt about the arrangement. She thought about how she would have felt had her father had to do something similar after her mother's death.

She looked up to find herself at the large wall of the castle garden with a tall tree growing beside it. The pleasant smells from the flowers inside the garden drifted to her nose faintly, and she grew curious to which flowers were inside. Haruhi examined the twisted, warped tree and concluded it was climbable. After making sure her hat was firmly on her head, she gripped at the bark and inched her way up like a cautious feline.

Out on a shaded branch, she held her breath when she realized the prince was present in the garden. If she was caught, she could suffer serious punishment. He didn't' appear to see her, so she quietly let out the air from her lungs. The garden smelled heavenly. She stretched forward slowly to see more of the garden when she accidentally broke a protruding twig on the thick branch.

The prince's head snapped up. He saw her immediately. "You there," he called as he sat on a stone bench in the garden, "What are you doing here?"

Startled, Haruhi tumbled off the branch, catching her hands on the branch long enough to allow her to land on her feet, however un-graceful. "Your highness!" she greeted, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt! I smelled the flowers and I was curious--"

He held up his hand to silence her. "Come here," he commanded.

Haruhi advanced cautiously, hoping her hat hadn't been disturbed in the fall. The prince seemed very laid-back and casual where he sat, delicately admiring a magnolia flower from a nearby bush. "Yes, sir?" she asked when she was near the bench.

"Call me Tamaki, instead," he said, "I don't like using titles when I'm relaxing in my garden."

She nodded in response.

He looked up at her, eyes furrowed in examination. "Why are you wearing such a warm hat in this hot weather?" he asked.

"It's the only one I have," she answered.

"Then why wear it? The heat could kill you."

"I'm used to it."

"Sit," Tamaki ordered as he indicated to the bench, "I don't feel like standing."

She sat obediently at the other end of the bench, keeping her eyes on everything but the prince. "You have many flowers here: I've never seen so many."

"Do you like them?"

"They're beautiful," she commented.

He followed her eyes to admire the vast Eden. "My mother planned it all," he replied, "Though, she never got to see the finished product." Tamaki turned his eyes back to Haruhi. "Why do you look so familiar to me, boy?"

Haruhi stomped down her excitement to remain calm. "I've been to a few parades; maybe you saw me there."

He shook his head. "I don't attend many parades, myself." His gaze stuck to her hat. "Remove your hat."

"No," she replied automatically.

"Take off your hat," he commanded again.

She stood. "I refuse!"

He stood and barked, "As the prince, you will do as I say!"

Haruhi's mouth closed and she glared. Whether she wanted to or not, the hat would be removed. She bowed slightly at the waist. "I'm sor--"

Sighing in exasperation, Tamaki cut her short and said more calmly, "Don't apologize. Forgive me for my outburst." He sat on the bench again. "Please sit. It's been a long time since I talked to someone as… _persistent_… as I."

Haruhi knew he meant to say "stubborn" but was trying to be polite. She sat. "You don't have many friends; do you, your highness?"

"Tamaki," he corrected, "And no, I don't. I have advisors and trainers."

She nodded. "I figured as much."

He folded his left arm across his stomach, propping his right elbow against it to rest his fingers below his nose thoughtfully. "You remind me of someone," he restated from earlier in a mumble.

Haruhi looked around the garden and spotted a fountain with a rose bush in full bloom beside it. She pointed towards it. "May I take a look?"

Tamaki nodded absently, and she stood. She sat at the edge of the extravagant fountain and marveled the rose bush. She had never seen such flawless-appearing flowers. None were wilted or damaged, all picture-perfect and bright red. The sight was mesmerizing.

The prince thought hard. Where had he seen this person before? His eyes glued to the hat. That hat… he concluded it shouldn't be there. He felt like it was mocking him mercilessly by concealing what it knew and he didn't. He battled inwardly with possible solutions to the predicament, eventually settling on the most effective, less honorable one.

Tamaki stood and crossed the garden. Haruhi's back was to him, making his mission that much easier. He marched straight up to her and gripped her hat from the front brim and lifted it back swiftly. Haruhi gasped as her hand flew up to attempt to catch her hat—or hide her hair—and she leapt to her feet as she spun around.

Haruhi couldn't catch her hair in time, and it fell around her shoulders. Her hand rested at the back of her neck and she stared open-mouthed at the prince.

His eyes widened and his mouth gaped for several reasons. "Who _are_ you?"

"Haruhi Fujioka," she replied quietly.

"Haru…?" The hand holding the hat pointed at her and his eyebrows drew together. "Hey… You're that girl!"

Her hand slowly lowered to her side. He remembered? "Sir?"

He advanced a step. "You're the girl from the parade!"

Waves of denials flooded Haruhi's brain, but the only response she could form was a winded sigh. "Yes."

She prepared for the worst: a slap, a kick, a pull of the hair, arrest, public ridicule, torture, execution. Instead, she shockingly found him laughing to himself and hanging his head while massaging his eyes with his thumb and middle finger of his free hand.

"Maybe I'm not as crazy as I thought," he chuckled quietly.

"What makes you think you're crazy, Tamaki?"

He realized he'd been heard at the sound of the question and looked up with a smile. "Oh, nothing, nothing," he replied.

She looked at him closely, reading his face. Haruhi realized his skin was paler than she remembered, lacking a healthy glow. "If I may ask, how did your mother Her Majesty die?"

Tamaki appeared to know what she was thinking and looked away, smile fading. "She was sick for about four years… then she grew delusional more and more… and she passed away in her sleep."

"How long have you been sick?"

"Since a few months after she died," he answered, "Maybe longer, but my doctors contributed it to grief."

Haruhi quickly did the math and concluded that to be nearly four years he'd been ill. "Do you know what's causing it?"

He shook his head. Tamaki reached down at the rose bush and skillfully cupped one—avoiding all the thorns—and neatly picked it, detaching it from the stem.

"But I prefer not to dwell on the past," he said, outstretching the hand delicately to her with a warm, dazzling smile.

"I'd rather move forward," he commented as he rested the flower in the palms of her hands, "And make new friends."

Haruhi accepted it sheepishly, watching him for several moments before lifting the rose to her nose to inhale the sweet aroma. "Can I include you?" he inquired.

Her eyes looked up at him, some color in her cheeks rising from their hiding place behind the petals, and her squinting eyes indicated a smile. "Sure," she answered.


	3. Chapter 2

**[Author's Note: **First of all, thanks to everyone for reading thus far!!! I just thought I would tell you since I forgot to post it earlier that I got the title from the song "When the Day Met the Night" by Panic at the Disco. If you've heard the song, you'll realize how it inspired this story lol Enjoy!!!**]**

**Chapter 2**

"Haruhi," Kaoru called, "Haruhi!"

Haruhi turned a corner and saw him down the street. "I'm over here, Kaoru," she called in the street in the shadows of twilight.

He ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her. When he let go, he demanded, "Where have you _been_? We've been looking all over for you!"

"Sorry, I lost track of time," she replied.

Kaoru sighed in exasperation. "Let's find Hikaru before he kills somebody by accident." He gripped her by the wrist and began tugging her through town to the area Hikaru had been assigned to search. Sure enough, they heard a teenager whimper in a dark alley and found Hikaru pinning a younger boy against the wall.

"Where did you see him?" Hikaru demanded.

Kaoru sighed and called, "Hikaru, let him go."

He looked over and dropped the front of the boy's shirt when he saw Haruhi. "Where were you?" he asked.

The boy scrambled away before Hikaru could change his mind about pummeling him. Haruhi sighed at the sight and shook her head. "I'm not so helpless that you have to beat the hell out of everyone you cross every time I'm a little late."

He rubbed at his knuckles to scatter the blood remnants from her view, smiling. "We're just worried about you, Haruhi," Hikaru said as he walked out of the alley. "Now where were you?"

"I was talking with a friend," she answered as she began to walk.

"Who?" the twins asked in unison.

"Just a friend," she said, resting a hand on her bag where the rose resided.

The twins exchanged glances before falling into stride on either side of Haruhi. "So… do we _know_ this friend?"

She shrugged, "Sort of."

Both nodded slowly before grinning at each other to signal. Both lunged for the bag and she gripped it to her stomach, tumbling out of their path. "Nice try, guys."

"Ah-HA!" Hikaru declared.

"So there _is_ something in the bag!" Kaoru finished.

Hikaru pounced forward and tackled Haruhi and Kaoru wrestled the bag from her grasp. He found the rose and pulled it out. "What the--? A _flower_?"

"Knock it off, guys!" Haruhi protested.

"Who gave you this?" Kaoru demanded, "Flowers like this can only be found in the really expensive shops and the royal garden!"

Hikaru released his captive to look closer. He figured out immediately which of the two she had received it from. "You were at the _castle_?"

Haruhi held out her hand to Kaoru for the flower. "Please, Kaoru?"

He handed over the rose over gently while his brother continued to badger her. "Why were you in the castle garden?"

"I was talking," she repeated.

"To _who_?" he demanded.

"Does it matter?"

"_Who_?" he growled.

She lowered her voice and whispered harshly, "If it's so damn important to you, I was talking to Tamaki."

"Are you _crazy_?" Hikaru roared. Kaoru shushed him before he continued at less volume. "They arrested your dad and want to _execute_ him just for being who he is!"

"That's them, not him," she retorted. Haruhi stood and dusted herself off. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going home," she snapped.

Kaoru looked helplessly between the two before deciding to remain with his brother with a sigh. He followed his brother as Hikaru stormed off for home, ranting the whole way. "Does she _want_ to be killed? I can't _believe_ her! She's gone _too far_ this time! She's so stubborn!"

Meanwhile, Tamaki delicately consumed the soup presented to him without paying much attention to his stepmother's conversation. He suddenly realized he'd been addressed and looked up. "Excuse me?" he asked.

His stepmother said, "I asked how you were feeling."

"Fine," he replied briefly.

She nodded slowly. "How about the voices?"

"I haven't heard any for over a week," he reported as he stared down at his food.

"That's good news," his father said. He set down his silverware and folded his hands in his lap. "Tamaki, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Tamaki mirrored his actions and sat at attention. "Yes, sir?"

"Your eighteenth birthday is coming up very soon. Have you thought about my proposition?"

Tamaki's eyes dropped to his hands. "Yes, I have."

"And what have you decided? Lady Eclaire is a fine young woman."

"Whom I've never met," he interjected.

"Yes, you have."

"I have never been alone with her, and people aren't the same behind closed doors. She and I rarely talked then, either: I just escorted her everywhere," Tamaki replied, exercising self-restraint to not scowl.

"You have still met her," the king countered.

Tamaki frowned helplessly. "Father, I don't wish to marry her." He shook his head as he spoke to emphasize. "There must be another choice."

"There are many princesses, of course! You refuse to choose one, so I chose for you," his father said.

His mind was thrown into gear. "What about a ball?" Tamaki asked so quickly it sounded like one long word, hands jumping to rest on the tabletop in his haste.

"A ball?" his stepmother asked.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"A ball…" The king took a pensive drink from his wine glass while his son watched anxiously.

The queen lifted her own glass. "I think it sounds like a lovely idea, don't you?"  
He nodded. "You are in charge of sending the invitations. We will take care of the rest," his father said. He looked up at his son's glowing excitement under the boy's skin and sparkling in his eyes.

"Have some self-control," his father advised sternly.

Tamaki looked down at his food and continued to eat, suppressing his smile. After a few bites, he raised his head again. "May I be excused to plan?"

His father nodded since his mouth had food inside. His stepmother said, "I'll be up with your medicine later."

He nodded in reply, not quite paying attention as he stood and strode out of the dining hall. Tamaki went straight to his room and made out a guest list to have the servants send out. He made an extra to deliver personally to fill out later. When he heard his stepmother's footsteps approaching his room, he stashed the invitation away.

She entered after a soft knock without waiting for a reply. "Tamaki, I have your medicine," she said.

Swirling around in his seat, he greeted the woman with a polite smile. "I'll take it in a few minutes. Could you just set it on the table over there for me, please?"

"I'm not falling for that one," she said, "You're taking it now."

"Do you think I'll forget?" he asked as he stood and crossed the room.

"No, I just want to make sure you take it since you're finally doing well again," she answered.

Tamaki took the tiny container of green liquid and swallowed it. Though his facial expression didn't change, goose bumps crawled over his skin in reaction to the foul taste. He forced a smile to the woman. "Thank you," he said as politely as he could muster through his disgust.

He returned to his desk to resume making the invitations. The queen hovered over him. "Do you have everyone?" she asked.

"I believe so, but can you take a look?" He held the guest list over his shoulder to her.

"Did you remember to invite Renge?"

"I heard she was engaged," he said in defense.

"She isn't: invite her."

Tamaki lowered the list to the desk. "Yes, ma'am."

She patted his hair as he wrote before leaving the room. After completing the few final invitations, Tamaki felt the weight of the day on his eyelids. He stood and crawled into bed.

He slept soundly and woke to a familiar voice in the morning. It commanded, "Get up."

Tamaki didn't recognize the voice at first through his morning mental fog. "In a minute," he mumbled drowsily.

"Get your ass out of bed!" the voice snapped.

Tamaki recognized it as his head jerked up at the harsh sound. He moaned and buried his face in his pillow. "Not again…"

"You pathetic, weak--"

"Go away," Tamaki groaned.

"…sniveling little--"

"Shut up!" Tamaki yelled, "Leave me alone!" He pushed the pillow sides firmly over his ears, though it did no good.

The echoing voice silenced and Tamaki slowly uncovered his ears and raised his head. The room was occupied by a sickly, rotting woman with dulled blonde hair. She tilted her head and smiled affectionately. "Tamaki…"

His head ducked back to his pillow to suppress his tears and block his vision. "No!" he barked, "You're not real!"

"Come here, my darling--"

"Stop it!" he pled. Tamaki heard the door open and a servant come to his aid.

"Your highness, are you all right?" the young woman asked.

He waited until he was sure the illusion had vanished to look up. Tamaki took a deep breath and held his head with one hand. He found he was sweating and closed his eyes to calm himself.

"Get," he sighed on an exhale, "my clothes, please. I would like my breakfast."

"Maybe you should stay in bed today, sir…" she advised worriedly.

"No," he replied, "I can handle it. I just need to… move around a little."

She nodded obediently, not daring to object. "Anything else you need, your majesty?"

Tamaki indicated to the stacks of invitations on his desk. "See that all of those are delivered."

She retrieved a set of clothes for him before taking the invitations into her possession, leaving with a respectful bow in his direction. Tamaki changed his clothes, keeping his eyes closed most of the time to avoid seeing the illusions he knew would be waiting for him. He stood in front of a mirror to make sure no part of his clothing was out of place.

One of the illusions taunted him coolly inside the mirror like they were standing face-to-face. It was the same one who had woken him. "It's all your fault, you naughty, naughty little boy," it sneered, "Why can't you just admit that she's dead because of you?"

Though he knew it would do no good, he decided to defend his honor as he straightened the collar of his shirt. "I didn't do anything."

"Lies won't make us go away," a series of voices chorused like a distorted echo.

"Then what does?" Tamaki asked spitefully.

The devilish figure of himself in inverse colors grinned sneakily. "Figure it out," the chorus of voices mocked.

He sighed, truly tired of hearing the voices and putting up with the illusions. They were rude, confusing, and just plain frightening at times. It was very draining to listen to. He wondered if this is how his mother felt before she passed away.

Tamaki exited his bedroom and descended the castle stairs. When he reached the dining hall, he found he would be dining with his stepmother. His medicine waited for him by his plate.

"What was that racket?" the queen asked.

He sighed, hung his head, and drooped his shoulders. It was like a child confessing to an act of shameful mischief. "It's happening again…" he answered.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Haruhi looked up at the castle from her place in the market. She had already checked the garden three times and Tamaki hadn't been there any of them. This had been going on for almost a week, but there was no sign of the prince. She wondered what was keeping him and why the castle seemed unusually quiet when she listened. She felt a tug on the basket in her hands and snapped to attention.

"She wants to take it inside, Haruhi," Kaoru notified as he tugged at the handles.

Haruhi looked up at the middle-aged nun with a blank expression before it sunk in. "Oh! I'm sorry," she said before handing over the basket. "I think those are all of the robes."

The nun accepted the basket from Kaoru with a smile. "This is so kind of you children to do this for us. No one else would repair these for us for such a low price and do so well!"

Kaoru accepted the coins and pocketed them. "I'll pass the message to my mother," he replied with a smile. "I hope you don't mind that we replaced some of the irreparable ones with new ones."

She shook her head. "No, that's wonderful: thank you!" Her smile faded. "I just wish we could give you something more for your trouble."

Haruhi shook her head. "Don't worry about it: we know times are tight for everyone lately."

A young nun exited the small convent to assist. "Sister, would the boys like some bread? They're a little stale because there was too much water and they're leftovers, but they're still good to eat."

The twins shook their heads. "No thank you. We need to head home." Hikaru turned and began walking away, Kaoru quickly trotted to catch up.

Haruhi smiled at the nuns. "If it's all right, could I take them? I know some people who could use them."

She nodded and handed her all three loaves. "And how is your father doing?"

"Actually, he was arrested a couple months ago…"

The older nun grimaced, knowing the reason for the arrest. "Oh, dear… Are you doing all right?"

"I've been living with Hikaru and Kaoru for the time being," she partially lied. She lived with them on occasion, but lived alone for the most part. She wasn't about to say that, especially since this woman knew she wasn't really a boy.

"That must be hard for you."

Haruhi smiled. "I get along fine." She bowed a fraction out of respect and gratitude. "I have to get going. Thank you very much!" She turned and caught up with the boys, tucking the bread out-of-sight into her bag in case someone was bold enough to try to take them from her.

Hikaru sighed. "Why did you take that bread? You know Mom said you can eat at our place tonight."

"I know another person who can use it besides us, that's why."

"Then who are the other two for?" Kaoru asked.

"Later," she replied. "So, what are we having tonight? Is there a special reason?"

"Dad signed a deal with a merchant for Mom's clothes so we got a little money advanced as a thank-you for signing," Kaoru said proudly.

"They have a steady business flow, then?"

Kaoru nodded. "And a lot of people buy from us through them so they decided to make it official."

"Does that mean you guys are going to go goof around this afternoon?"

Hikaru shrugged, raising his hands behind his head to rest as he walked. "Of course," he replied.

A figure caught Haruhi's eye from the passing alley. "Hey, I'll catch up with you guys later," she called, already going to the alley.

The boys kept walking, acknowledging her declaration with brief confirmations of, "Okay," and, "Have fun."

Haruhi approached the familiar little girl who lay on her side in the shadows to avoid the energy-draining sun. "You okay?" Haruhi asked as she knelt in the path of the sun.

She looked up lazily. "I took the shoes back," she croaked.

"I know," she replied. "I have some stale bread if you're hungry." Haruhi could see how drained the girl was of energy. Judging by how her clothes fell around her, she was also very malnourished.

Haruhi sat the girl up, back resting against the wall. She lifted her canteen of water and unscrewed the top, tilting it to the girl's lips. After the girl finished drinking a satisfactory amount, Haruhi asked, "What happened to your parents?"

"They died in a fire a few months ago…" the girl replied.

Haruhi passed her one of the loaves of bread. When the girl's fingers fumbled with it, she took it back to tear off a smaller piece for easier consumption. "Do you have someplace to stay?" Haruhi asked as the girl took the piece of bread into her hands.

The girl shook her head slowly and began to gnaw on the bread. Haruhi watched the girl wrestle with the dry food, difficult to consume with the little saliva due to dehydration. She handed over her canteen again and began to reconsider her obedience to the twins' rule about never taking in another street child. Haruhi had come across some before, but they were never this bad off.

She knew she would be eating a lot less if she did. Either that or she would have to steal extra rations, making it more noticeable and easier to be caught. In either case, it would be a lot more trouble for Haruhi. It would be more unnecessary hassle for her…

She looked over the thin body as the girl champed at the bread. Haruhi tore off another piece for her. "What's your name?"

She roughly swallowed the food in her mouth to form a raspy reply, "Naomi."

Haruhi gnawed on her lower lip gently in thought. After she made up her mind, she spoke quickly before she could change her mind. "Would you like to stay with me?"

The girl blinked with an empty gaze. "What?"

"Do you want to live with me?" she repeated.

Naomi eyed Haruhi cautiously. "I'm… I'm not supposed to go anywhere with strangers."

She chuckled to herself at the logical fear. "I know what you're thinking, and don't worry. Besides," she reminded, "you can either live with me or you'll be dead in a few days at the rate you're going."

The option appeared to need thinking-over before Naomi nodded with surrender. "All right," she sighed.

Haruhi smiled. "Good," she said as she tucked the remainder of the bread and water in her bag for later consumption. She turned and pulled Naomi's arms around her neck, heaving the girl up onto her back and sipping her arms beneath the girl's bottom to hold her on her back.

"Just hang on and try to get some rest if you can," Haruhi instructed. She felt the girl nod into her shoulder blade.

"Yes, sir."

Haruhi laughed to herself. "Between you and me," she said as she tilted her head back to smile at her passenger, "I'm a girl."

Naomi's eyes widened. "Really?"

Haruhi nodded. "Uh-huh."

Naomi dropped her gaze in embarrassment. "Sorry."

Entering the main flow of foot traffic, the older girl laughed and turned her attention back to where she was traveling. "No, it's all right. I want people to think that." She shifted her arms beneath her passenger. "We'll be there in a minute; I only live a few blocks over."

They arrived at the run-down building after a few short minutes. At first, Naomi thought it was simply an abandoned building Haruhi took shelter in. She deserted that theory when Haruhi used a key to open the front door. It was a very small building, and it only consisted of one bedroom, one bathroom, and a living room. The only furniture in the building appeared to be two beds in the bedroom, one of which hadn't been touched in a long time, and a table. Haruhi laid Naomi in the undisturbed bed.

"You can use my dad's bed since he isn't here," Haruhi said as she pulled the unfinished bread from her bag and the water canteen. "Eat up and get some rest. I have to go out for a bit, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Where are you going?"

"To a friend's house," she replied, "And I'm going to try to think of a more permanent place you can stay." She stood and turned, leaving the house and locking the door behind her.

Haruhi walked through town, deep in thought, towards her friends' house at the opposite end. Naomi was very ill and couldn't fend for herself, but Haruhi didn't have the resources to care for another person on her own, especially not one that required so much help. Likewise, she couldn't just leave her on her own. Naomi needed a home that could provide medical care and good, nutritious food. Haruhi could provide neither. She didn't want to leave the girl in just any place, either. Naomi had suffered serious loss already and needed a supportive, caring environment. What kind of place could give her all those comforts?

She heard two bodies collide ahead of her and looked up. A well-dressed merchant was scowling over his shoulder as he passed the cloaked individual he had collided with. "Stay out of my way, you rat!"

None of the individual's distinguishable features were visible because of the cloak. In her experience, Haruhi found that people who wore such cloaks were wanderers. They were often so poor they couldn't afford to pay attention—literally. Haruhi herself was a hop, skip, and a jump away from landing in the same state.

The force of the contact had knocked the cloaked individual to the ground, holding a hand to his or her face underneath the hood, muttering something inaudible.

Haruhi approached and knelt in front of the person. "Don't mind him; are you okay?"

She found familiar, bright-purple eyes look up at her from the hand. The blonde hair came into shadowed view underneath the hood. He appeared shocked—but elated—to see her. "Haruhi?"

Her jaw fell ajar and her eyes widened. "T-Tamaki?"

The prince grinned happily in relief. "Thank the heavens! I've been looking for you all day!"

"Why didn't you just go to the garden and wait there?"

"Because I'm supposed to be in my room," he admitted sheepishly.

Her eyebrows drew together in curious bewilderment. "Why?"

"Long story," he mumbled.

She looked around them before grabbing his hand and dragging him through the streets until they reached a familiar building with a ladder dangling off the side. "Come on," she instructed as she climbed the ladder to the roof.

He followed, uncertain of the device. His movements were slow and cautious so he arrived in twice the time it took her. "Why are we way up here?"

"To talk without eavesdroppers," she explained.

His hood fell to his shoulders as he looked around to find no one to listen or watch. When his eyes returned to Haruhi, his arms wrapped around his abdomen and he laughed with embarrassment. "I don't' suppose you have anything to eat with you, do you? I haven't eaten since breakfast."

Haruhi sighed and pulled the spare load of bread from her bag and passed it, growing more and more relieved that she took all three loaves of bread. "It's not like what you're probably used to, but--"

"This is terrible!" Tamaki had sat with his bread and took a bite while she talked, immediately gagging from the taste. He looked up at her as if expecting it to be a practical joke.

"It's all I have, sorry," she said.

"What do you _usually_ eat, then?" he asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "Whatever I find or nothing at all."

His mouth closed and he instantly felt guilty for complaining, and he bit into the stale food again silently. "I can't believe you actually _eat_ this stuff," he said, the sound muffled due to the food in his mouth.

"_I_ can't believe _you_ actually snuck out of the castle," she replied as she sat across from Tamaki. To cover the sounds of her own stomach growling ravenously while she watched him eat, she asked, "So what are you doing here, anyway?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kaoru fell out of his chair in shock and his mother nearly dropped the stack of plates in her hands. Hikaru stood stock-still, not attempting to hide the fact his blood was broiling. His jaw clenched while he asked stiffly, "Haruhi, _what_ is _he_ doing here?"

She shifted her weight to her other foot. "I invited him… Is that all right, Mrs. Hitachiin?"

Recovering from the initial shock, she replied, "Yes, of course!"

Hikaru continued to stand in his place, holding his hands in tight fists at his sides. His brother climbed off the floor and moved to his brother's side to calm him down. "Hikaru, I'm sure there's a good, logical reason--"

Tamaki intercepted the dishes from the woman's hands. "Let me get those for you, my lovely maiden," he said with all the charm he had at his disposal. "Hands such as yours shouldn't have to work so hard."

He smiled dazzlingly as she surrendered the plates and he set them around the table. Haruhi instructed, "Just… sit on the couch or something: I'll be back in a minute," before exiting to the kitchen with her host.

Hikaru's anger disappeared like a light switch when Tamaki sat down on the couch. He whispered to his brother mischievously with a sly smirk. Kaoru's lips twitched into a smile and he nodded in agreement. They rounded the couch to face their guest who was staring at his hands resting in his lap.

Kaoru wrapped his arms around his brother's shoulders and waist to hang off him suggestively from behind, chin resting on Hikaru's shoulder. Kaoru asked, "So what are you doing out of the castle?"

Tamaki straightened to look up at them and jumped slightly at the sight. "I have several reasons," he answered vaguely. Anyone else would have left it at that and apologized for the question. To the prince's misfortune, the twins weren't "anyone."

Hikaru took the hand of his brother that hung around his neck and pulled it to his lips seductively. "Care to tell us?"

The blonde didn't reply for a moment. "No," he said politely.

Kaoru leaned his face close to his brother's half-turned one. "I'm sorry, are we making you _uncomfortable_?"

"Not at all," he replied calmly.

Hikaru and Kaoru separated, moving to take up the spaces on either sides of the couch to Tamaki and leaning in passed his personal boundaries. "Oh, that's a relief," Kaoru pretended to sigh while mirroring his brother's actions by tangling his legs and arms to their guest.

"Most people would report us to the castle guards or something," Hikaru elaborated. He began to toy with the prince's hair cutely, who closed his eyes at the advances. "If someone did _that_ then poor little Haruhi would be left alone _again_ since her dad was--"

Hikaru found himself jerked off the couch by the ear by a fuming Haruhi. She glared firmly at him, and he glared defiantly back. "What are you doing?" she snapped tightly.

He continued to glare at her, though its intensity softened from facing hers. Hikaru said nothing and he didn't attempt to free his ear.

"Haruhi," Tamaki said as he lifted his hand in indication, "May I?"

She watched him a moment and her glare faded before she released Hikaru's tender cartilage.

"I can see what you two are trying to do," Tamaki announced as he politely removed Kaoru's limbs from their positions on him. He did so in such a way that one would think he were arranging flowers, his attitude was so neutral. "You've produced this ploy to try to get me to report you to the proper authorities. Inspirational and noble, but your efforts are wasted. I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not that kind of man."

"So why'd you make those stupid laws, homophobe?" Hikaru sneered.

Tamaki sighed and stood slowly. "For your information, I'm not homophobic; that would be my stepmother. A prince has no input in the making of laws. I believe that whatever one's," he paused to choose an appropriate word, "preferences," he paused again in case he wanted to choose a different word, "are, are that person's business. Just like any couple, they are free to be together as long as their behavior is tasteful in public."

He looked at each member of his audience carefully as if to check if his point had been made. His gaze began to flicker in another direction like there was a fourth person before they stopped abruptly and returned to Haruhi. He sighed. "Excuse me," he said as he retreated for the door and began to reach for his hood.

The door opened before he reached it and a man entered. He had brown hair in a similar style to the twins, but shorter and more clean-cut. His eyes were the same charming shape as the boys, as well. He blinked in surprise at the prince. "Your highness! What brings you to our home?"  
"Actually, I was just stepping--"

He entered and closed the door behind him. "Come, you must stay for dinner!"

Entering the dining room with a plate holding a small chicken, the man's wife called, "The food's ready when you are."

"Make tea for our guest, would you, dear?" he asked.

"I already am; it's almost ready," she replied as she returned to the kitchen. Her long bright-orange hair flowed behind her swiftly like a wedding veil with the same intensity as the hair of her sons.

His grin widened. "Splendid! Splendid!"

Dinner commenced with a great amount of happy chatter. Hikaru excused himself as soon as he was finished eating to go to his room, not waiting for anyone else to finish. Though his father cast a disapproving glance, Hikaru's departure was uninterrupted. Haruhi and Tamaki only talked when necessary, though Tamaki had much more talking to do than she.

When it seemed everyone had eaten their fill, Haruhi cleared her throat. "Um, Mrs. Hitachiin? Would you mind if I took some of this home?"

Both hosts turned their eyes on her. Kaoru watched all of them alternatively, head facing his plate inconspicuously to eat. Tamaki kept his eyes on Haruhi most of the silence with brief glances at the hosts. "Of course you can, Haruhi," Mrs. Hitachiin finally answered.

"Can I ask why?" her husband asked. He knew Haruhi knew she was always welcome in their home. If she truly needed the food—which she was often too proud to ask for—she knew they would share if they had it. The inquiry made him wonder why she would want to take it home when she could have it right there, even if it was for later.

She looked over at Kaoru before retreating her gaze to her plate. "I have a guest staying at my house and she hasn't had any dinner," Haruhi explained, "It was sort of last minute so I didn't pull anything together."

Her hosts nodded in approval. Tamaki's gaze wandered around the room to fill the time space and he spotted some papers with colorful drawings on them. He stood from the table and moved to the distant table. "What's this?" he asked. Looking them over, they appeared to be clothing designs. "These are very good… It appears you can help me with a problem I'm having, if you're the ones who designed these."

The hosts exchanged glances. Haruhi concluded Tamaki could be trusted and said, "Mrs. Hitachiin made them."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically while the hosts gaped at Haruhi, fearful they may lose a great deal of business if the word spread. "Really?" Tamaki asked in mild surprise. "Fascinating!"

Turning around and walking over to Haruhi, Tamaki tucked his left arm behind him to rest at his lower back and held out his right hand gentlemanly. "Haruhi, may I speak with you privately, please?" he requested with a soft smile.

She stared at his hand for several moments, unaccustomed to the polite gesture. Haruhi stood and reached passed the hand for his wrist, leading him off to the kitchen so they wouldn't be overheard. Letting go, she spun around to face him.

"They shouldn't be able to hear us in here if we keep it down," she informed, "so shoot."

Tamaki smiled, attempting to contain his enthusiasm. "My father has agreed to let me have a ball and invite all of the unmarried noble women I can. Out of the women, I will be forced to choose a bride among them or be assigned to marry a woman of my father's choosing by the name Lady Eclaire."

She blinked a moment, confused to why this had to be brought up in private. "Okay?"

Reaching into his shirt pocket, he withdrew an invitation. "I would be honored if you would attend."

"I'm not a noble," she said carefully as if it had the potential to hurt his feelings.

He was unmoved. "I know, but the people at the castle don't."

Haruhi folded her arms, attempting to be logical. "What if someone recognizes me like you did?"

"They'll think it's a coincidence."

She turned it over in her head like a trader judging an object's value. "_Hypothetically_, if I went, what would I wear? Not even my best clothes would probably be suitable for one of your servants."

Determination twinkled in his eyes. "I'll pay Mrs. Hitachiin to make you a dress."

"Won't they notice if I don't show up in a fancy chariot or something?"

"You will," he declared. "One of my guests will be more than happy to do it after I have a little talk with her."

"I can't walk in heels," she protested.

"Then you'll wear flats."

She sighed in defeat and lowered her arms to her sides. "If you can get Mrs. Hitachiin to make the dress, I'll go."

Tamaki's smile turned into a euphoric, child-like grin. "Wonderful!" Regaining his princely composure, he reached forward and delicately ran the tips of his fingers over her hair. "Your hair might undergo some slight changes, though, for cosmetic purposes."

She watched the hand. "Like what?"

"Like some layering to your bangs to make it look neater and bring out your beautiful smile." He smiled sincerely with the compliment, stifling a chuckle when he spotted her flattered shift of the eyes.

"Well, you should ask Mrs. Hitachiin to make the dress. Besides, it's rude to leave like this during dinner," she muttered.

"You're right," he replied and offered his hand politely. "Care to join me?"  
She shook her head. "I'll be there in a minute; you go ahead."

Lowering his hand, he nodded. "Very well. I'll see you in a few minutes," he said before leaving the kitchen.

Haruhi listened as the conversation commenced and leaned against the counter. Just like any time she was left alone with her thoughts, she began to worry. This time, it was about Naomi. If something happened to Haruhi, no one would be able to care for the girl. If no one could care for Naomi, she wouldn't be able to last long on her own. The idea was really starting to bother her.

When she pursed her lips in thought, Kaoru entered the room, leaving his parents and the prince to discuss business. "Are you okay, Haruhi?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"What's this about a guest?" He leaned on the counter beside her.

She sighed, knowing the question would come up sooner or later. "You have to see her, Kaoru… She's in really bad shape, and her family died in a fire. She doesn't have anyone to go to. I couldn't just _leave_ her there."

"You could easily end up in her position," he argued.

She shook her head. "You guys would never let me get that bad."

He smirked teasingly. "_I_ might, but Hikaru wouldn't."

Haruhi glanced over at him before she leaned over to push him lightly with her arm. Both laughed for a few moments at his joke. Once it died down, Kaoru's face grew serious again. "You don't really _like_ this guy, do you, Haruhi?" He sounded like a child asking if his mother was leaving him for an undesignated period of time, hoping for the right answer.

She looked down at her feet while they shifted. "I don't _dis_like him, if that's what you mean."

His topaz gaze burrowed into her. "Haruhi," he said sternly to catch her attention.

Her head turned to face him faster than her eyes. When she made eye contact with him, she took a deep breath. Looking him firmly in the eyes, she replied, "Yes. Yes, I do."

Kaoru exhaled sharply through his nose. "Hikaru was right, then," he muttered, "You're going to leave us for him..."

"Is that what you think?" she asked incredulously. Before he could even answer, Haruhi moved away from the counter, gripped Kaoru by the hand, and dragged him to the twins' bedroom. Hikaru lay on his side on his bed, away from the door.

"Hikaru, get up," she ordered.

He turned over sluggishly before sitting up with a slight scowl. "What?"  
She forced Kaoru to sit on the bed beside his brother. Placing her hands on her hips, she declared, "Now, let's get this straight: just because I like Tamaki _doesn't_ mean I'm going to up and leave you guys! I would _never_ do that to you guys, and I'm insulted you think I'd even _consider_ it!"

"Bull!" Hikaru spat, "You've been head-over-heels for him since day one! He's going to use you and then dump you right back on the street like yesterday's bathwater!"

She gaped at him before closing her mouth. It melted into a small smile. Haruhi shook her head and leaned forward, hooking an arm around each of their necks for embrace. "Thanks, but you don't need to worry about me so much. I can take care of myself sometimes, too, ya'know?"

She let go and stepped back. "You know it would probably be easier for you to actually _tell_ me when something's bothering you instead of being an ass. It'd be a lot less stressful and you wouldn't seem like such a jerk," she commented before Haruhi turned and left the room to return to the dining room.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Tamaki pulled the cloak tighter around his neck to keep his face hidden in the night. Since he saw no other people in the streets, he began to chastise his invisible company quietly.

"Why are you doing this? What did I do to make you pester me so? And were those ridiculous gestures towards my hosts really necessary? I know they can't see you, but have some manners or dignity or something!"

An illusion much different from the ones he had encountered within the castle trotted ahead of him to his right. Her hands rest behind her head and she walked backwards to face the prince. It was the form of his mother when she was in her early teens, perhaps, by her size. She shrugged her shoulders with a tiny smile.

"You looked nervous so I thought you needed some help feeling more comfortable," she chirped.

"That doesn't mean you stick your tongue out at them and call the twins 'stinky-heads!'"

She giggled. "But you weren't so nervous after that, were you?"

Tamaki wondered how old this illusion was supposed to be. She was as tall as a teenager, but her voice and behavior was that of a child. He had to admit it amused him, and he preferred this illusion to the other—more disturbing—ones that usually plagued him at his times of illness. She always seemed a little bit older each time he saw her. It was much less unsettling to endure, like having an invisible younger sibling.

He shook his head with a sigh. "A prince is never nervous, silly girl!" he insisted.

"Scared, then," she declared as if that were more honorable of a term.

Rolling his eyes, he asked, "How long until I stop seeing you guys again?"  
She shrugged again. "I don't know," she answered, "We wouldn't be here at all if you would just see what's right in front of you…"

He was tired of the little hints that told him nothing. "What do you mean? You always say that but you never--"

She spun around on the ball of her foot with a smile silently. Tamaki knew she would speak no more so he walked the rest of the way to the castle in comfortable silence. Luckily, his absence had gone unnoticed since he told his servants to leave his meals I the waiting room of his bedroom and not to disturb him for the day because he needed rest. It was even early enough in the night that his medicine hadn't been brought.

Once he was in his bedroom safely undetected, Tamaki disposed of the excess food by feeding it to his dog Antoinette. He next turned to the mute illusion girl. "I know you're not going to talk, but will you at least help me gather dress samples for Mrs. Hitachiin?"  
She seemed to think the proposal over before nodding with a childish grin. With a graceful spin of her body, she vanished into the air soon to reappear in the same spinning motion, wearing new clothes. They were blue and gold with an elegance not commonly found in recent times, even among royalty. The ruffles on the dress were delicately placed to honor the shape of her body and not seem tacky. Her beautiful blonde curls bounced as she forced herself to stop, not disturbing the bows placed on either side of her face.

"That looks lovely and everything, but," he thought realistically, "how am I supposed to show her that to _make_ if she can't _see_ you?"

He then saw the photograph in her grasp. She held it out to him with both hands cheerily and waggled it in indication for him to receive it. With hesitating reflexes, Tamaki reached forward and accepted the—surprisingly—solid object. Though their fingers touched, he felt nothing other than a slight chill. It felt like he was receiving the framed photo from the air.

The photo was of her with Tamaki's father in his younger years. She wore the very same dress in the picture that she wore in front of him. Her hair, too, was positioned in the very same way. Both looked very handsome and, he couldn't help but notice, happy. It had been years since he'd seen his father smile in that way. As for his mother, almost every trace of her had been removed from sight since her death, including this photo. He knew it had been one of her favorites.

He looked up at her, eyes wide and innocently surprised. "This is the dress you wore when you met Father?" he asked, remembering in her life when he had been told the story behind the photo.

She smiled warmly in confirmation. It was the same loving smile Tamaki remembered she always gave him, even when she was ill.

"I think it's time to write the letter for Renge," he suggested.

Her head dipped in an approving nod.

The next day, Tamaki crept out of the castle again and went straight to the Hitachiin household with an appropriately large sum of money to pay the seamstress. He wasn't surprised to discover Haruhi wasn't there. Luckily, Mrs. Hitachiin was and she was ready to work.

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Haruhi followed her friends, however unwillingly. Hikaru pulled her by the wrists and Kaoru pushed at her back. "I've had plenty to eat today, guys!" she protested again as they neared the Hitachiin household.

"Don't give us that," Hikaru jeered insistently.

Kaoru moved closer to her ear to assure lowly, "You'll be home in plenty of time. Besides, you can always stay at our house for the night."

Somehow it didn't make her feel better. "I need to go home," she argued.

They pulled her inside while repeating words of persuasion. She leaned back with all her weight and attempted to remove her feet from the ground to make their feat more difficult. It wasn't the first time the three had been through such a ritual, but all knew no one in the group was acting on malice or anger. It was simply how it went.

"Haruhi," Tamaki greeted from the other room at the sounds of their entry, "What perfect timing!"

All three froze in surprise at the voice. "Tamaki," she replied as she entered the kitchen to confirm it was truly him, "What are you doing here?"

She found him sitting at the table with Mrs. Hitachiin and a few documents. Both had a cup of tea in hand and the hostess was dressed comfortably, obviously trying to look at presentable as possible in her working clothes. The prince grinned happily at Haruhi.

"We're making your dress," he said.

"I have my husband fetching the materials right now. Since you're here, we'll take your measurements, Haruhi," the hostess said with her usual, motherly glow. "Hikaru, could you set up the stool? Kaoru, I'll need you to write the measurements for me."

The twins nodded obediently. Hikaru set up the stool in the living room while Kaoru retrieved a pencil and paper. Mrs. Hitachiin instructed Haruhi to change into a smaller outfit that would allow her to take more accurate measurements. It covered the necessities, so Haruhi wasn't concerned about wearing it through the house.

She left the bedroom—where she had been changing—and entered the living room. Hikaru was leaning against the wall with a facial expression that implied disinterest and boredom, even though he was studying his mother's actions intently like an apprentice with his master. His mother began to take measurements swiftly, preferring not to draw out the task. Kaoru worked diligently, studying his mother as much as Hikaru while he wrote.

"You're going to love the dress," Mrs. Hitachiin assured as she measured the length of Haruhi's arms.

Tamaki wandered into the room out of curiosity and halted inches within the room. He was unaware his jaw cracked open and eyes widened. He couldn't move and the sight left him breathless. He had never seen that much of a female's body, and Haruhi's boyish clothing never hinted to what lied beneath it. The only thing that even came close was when his mother would swim with him or, perhaps, his stepmother on very rare occasion. He quickly regained his composure before his company could notice.

She turned around to provide easier access for the seamstress to measure the dimensions of her torso and hips in the small space provided. Haruhi spotted Tamaki and smiled sheepishly when she noticed his gaze. "What?" she asked with a light laugh, "What is it?"

His eyes snapped out of their trance and focused on her face. A tint of pink rose in his cheeks. Hikaru's eyes flickered to the interaction's spoken and unspoken parts, and he folded his arms inconspicuously as Tamaki answered, "Nothing."

Her head tilted downward to try to hide her laugh. "You know, Tamaki," she giggled, "You look really funny when you're spacing out."

Mrs. Hitachiin announced, "All right, Haruhi, you can go get dressed: I'm done."

She looked to either side of the stool, searching for a suitable place to step off without injury. Kaoru stood from the couch and offered his hand awkwardly for assistance. Keeping her balance with Kaoru's assistance, Haruhi stepped off the stool and proceeded to the bedroom to change. While she changed, she heard Mr. Hitachiin enter the home.

When she opened the door, she found Hikaru waiting to the side. She tilted her head to one side. "Hey, Hikaru," she greeted. When he didn't reply, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

His feet shifted uncomfortably and he slowly looked up into her eyes. "Um, can I tell you something?"

She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. "Yeah, go ahead," she answered.

He stuttered a few times from attempting to speak before a solid sentence began to form. "With everything going on, before you make up your mind, I wanted to tell you that I really li--"

"Time for dinner," Mrs. Hitachiin called in a sing-song voice, instantly silencing her son.

"Never mind," he mumbled before escaping to the dining room.

The dinner's atmosphere was much more relaxed than the previous one with much more happy chatter. Even Hikaru talked a little more and didn't dismiss himself early again. Overall, it was a comfortable dinner. Mrs. Hitachiin went straight to work after she was finished eating, and her husband joined her to help in any way he could.

As Haruhi placed her dishes in the sink, a low rumble made her muscles seize up. Tamaki, also placing his dishes in the sink, noticed the tension. "Are you all right, Haruhi?"

"Yes," she answered too quickly.

He looked down at her hands and saw them clenched tightly. Every hair on her arms was raised and her skin around them with it like a goose or a chicken. "What's wrong?"

She heard another low rumble and squeaked in surprise and fear. "Nothing," she replied. "I just realized; I have to go home now." Haruhi strode stiffly out of the kitchen, passed her brotherly friends.

They watched her go intently, though they knew the routine well. "Going home?" Kaoru asked just to confirm.

She jerked a nod. "Bye," she said just before the door closed behind her.

Tamaki entered the living room, clearly befuddled. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kaoru shook his head. "She wants to be home before the thunderstorm hits."

"Where does she live?" he asked, finally pulling his gaze away from the door.

"Three blocks straight and five to the left. It's the only house with no lights on," Kaoru answered with boredom as he stared at the ceiling. "Why?" He looked over and found the prince was no longer there and his cloak was no longer hanging on the coat rack.

Tamaki stood outside the door, pulling his hood over his head. He looked around and began to move forward to follow Kaoru's directions. He heard a loud crash of thunder accompanied by a flash of lightning. Moments later, rain began to pour down upon him and he broke into a run.

It took him fifteen minutes to find the unlighted house. Out of breath, he knocked on the door. "Haruhi," he called, "It's me!"

There wasn't a sound from inside. He could only hear the roar of the rain beat against his cloak and the rest of his surroundings. The wind and running movement had knocked the hood off his head, but he didn't bother to replace it and allowed his head to be soaked. He knocked again. "Haruhi, open up!"

He decided to try the door handle to find it unlocked, so he let himself inside. Closing the door behind him, he called into the dark, "Haruhi, are you in here?"

Walking through the tiny house, he strained to listen when a roll of thunder made the house shiver. He heard a familiar voice whimper from a nearby room. "Haruhi?"

He entered the room and saw her crouched in a defensive ball in the far corner from the window in the small space between one of two beds and the wall. Tamaki quickly went to her, kneeling in front of her. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" He looked around the room. "Where's your family? How dare they leave you alone like this--!"

She shook her head slowly in her arms. "It's not their fault." She uncovered her ears slightly to talk, her tears catching stray bits of light to make them visible for the prince.

"What do you mean?"

"My mom died when I was little and my dad is in prison." Another rumble of thunder made her cover her ears firmly and close her eyes tightly again for a few moments.

Tamaki was shocked. "Why?"

"He was turned in for being a homosexual. Someone found out he was cross-dressing to cover it up."

A loud, close crash of thunder and lightning made Haruhi let slip a short scream and Tamaki jump slightly. He felt guilty his father and stepmother's laws caused her only remaining family to go to prison, leaving her all alone. He suddenly understood what the twins had meant the previous night during their charade.

Haruhi's face was buried in her knees and her hands were clamped over her ears like her very life depended on it. Tamaki wasn't sure what to do, having never been in a situation even remotely similar. He reached out and touched her shoulder, which he found to be soaked from the rain.

He wrapped both arms gingerly around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Another jolt of lightning and thunder pushed her arms to move to and tighten around his middle. "I'm so sorry."


	7. Chapter 6

**[Author's Note:] **SPOILER WARNING!!! The boys are the same boys from Volume 3 of the manga/episode 8 of the anime. Casanoda appears in episode 22 of the anime (I have not read that far in the manga, so I can't tell you if/when he appears). Thank you for all the reviews and views so far and enjoy chapter six! **[/Author's Note]**

**Chapter 6**

Tamaki awoke to find Haruhi was no longer at his side and it was still dark. He rubbed his eyes and straightened his clothes before standing to observe the room more closely with the dim light from the moon. He found Haruhi sitting at the side of one of the beds and he was surprised to find a small girl in it.

"Who's this?" he asked while crossing the small room.

"Naomi," Haruhi answered in a whisper.

"Is she your sister?"

She shook her head. Haruhi placed a cool, damp cloth on the girl's sweating forehead. "She's my friend, and she's getting worse. I'm afraid that she'll die if she doesn't get to a hospital."

"What's wrong with her?" He watched the girl shudder in her sleep.

Haruhi shrugged. "She could just be giving in to malnutrition, but I can't say for sure."

"Well, then let's go buy her something to eat," he suggested.

She made a small, hollow laugh. "With what? I don't have the money."

"Could you take her to the monastery?"

"They're committed to poverty; they don't have the money, either."

He gnawed the inside of his cheek in thought until Haruhi said, "Don't worry; I'll take care of it." She looked out the window. "You should probably get back to the palace. If you get back before sunrise, you might be able to pull it off that you never left."

Tamaki nodded belatedly. "You're right," he replied. "Meet me in my garden this afternoon. We'll arrange your arrival to the party then."

"Can you get back to the palace by yourself?"

He nodded. "I'll see you in about twelve hours," he said with a gentle smile. He ran his fingertips over Naomi's hair softly to move it out of her face. "Get well soon, Naomi."

She replied with the sounds of her labored breathing.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Haruhi heaved herself over the garden wall when she saw it was unoccupied. She began to look around for the prince, finding no one. Searching to the other end of the vast garden, she heard his familiar voice.

She rounded a tree to find him sitting in the grass, staring in horror into the shadows of a pair of tall lilac bushes beyond her sight.

"Stay back," he barked to the shadows, "Leave me alone!"

Haruhi glanced to the shadows, but her position caused the threat to be obscured from her vision. When she saw him begin to scurry back and away defensively, she ran forward and stood in the path of Tamaki and the shadows. She saw nothing. She turned to face the prince questioningly.

He continued to stare in horror at a fixed spot in the shadows over her shoulder, ignoring Haruhi's arrival. "Get away," he ordered the invisible assailant. He suddenly began to stare at his arms and equally suddenly begin scratch ferociously at them like something disgusting coated them.

The skin reddened quickly, on the verge of drawing blood. Alarmed, Haruhi dropped to the ground and gripped his arms a few inches above the wrists firmly. "Tamaki, stop! What are you doing?" she demanded.

"The leeches," he replied frantically, "get them off me!"

"Tamaki, there _are no leeches_."

Her grip on his arms was loosening with his persistent jerks. Haruhi released his wrists and wrapped her arms around his torso tightly, effectively restraining his arms within her grasp and confining his jerks.

"There's nothing there," she insisted calmingly, "You're safe."

His fearful panting began to level slowly and his struggles subsided, but he continued to stare into the shadows. It took several minutes for him to once again grow aware of his surroundings. He looked down and saw his hands pinned to his chest by Haruhi's linked arms, her torso to his right. Her face rest just behind his shoulder to keep her grip tighter on his arms than on his back. Her hat had been knocked off in the struggle, so her hair fell around her face from the movement.

"Haruhi?" he asked in confusion.

She released him slowly, still feeling how shaken he was from whatever he saw, to look up at him. "What happened?"  
"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine; what about you?" She looked down and saw the traces of blood on his forearms and fingernails. "Do your arms hurt?"

He looked down and discovered the self-inflicted scratched, as well. Turning his arms over carefully to examine them, he replied, "They sting a little, but it's nothing to worry about."

Haruhi pulled a supply of cheesecloth out of her bag and tore two large pieces from it. After folding them appropriately, she wrapped each piece gently around the scratches and pulled his sleeves over them to conceal their presence. "It'll keep infection out," she explained.

He stopped her hand as it moved the second sleeve down, causing her to look up. Tamaki looked very concerned and serious, focusing on the scuff marks on her cheek from his shoulder thrashing against it. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She followed his gaze and rubbed her cheek with the back of her free hand. "No," she insisted. She ran a hand lightly over one of his arms and whispered, "You really scared me, though. I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep you from really hurting yourself."

His hands suddenly gripped her shoulders tightly. "You have to promise me you will _never_ do that again. I could have really hurt you, Haruhi!"

Her eyebrows drew together firmly to mirror his. "What was I supposed to do, let you skin yourself alive?"

He shook her shoulders gently in attempt to force his point across. "_Please_, Haruhi," he pled, "promise me!"

"Why?" she barked stubbornly.

His hands tightened momentarily on her shoulders before releasing to dive forward and wrap his arms around her shoulders. His voice softened. "Because," he whispered, "I could never forgive myself if I did something to hurt you, even by accident. Do you even realize that I didn't even know it was you?"

"Who did you think was talking to you?" she asked out of curiosity.

He fell silent.

When she concluded he wasn't planning to answer, Haruhi asked, "Is this what you meant… when you said you thought you were crazy?" She pulled away to look into his face.

He stared downwards, looking at nothing. He appeared disturbed. "I'm glad you couldn't see it… It was horrible," he muttered. To answer her question, he glanced up and nodded.

Her eyebrows drew together again, this time in sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

Tamaki took a deep breath, shaking his head. When he raised his head, he wore a smile and exhaled. "I'm glad you came. Are you ready to get down to business?" He stood and offered his hand.

She took it and was swiftly pulled to her feet. "I went to see Mrs. Hitachiin today," she notified while she dusted herself off, "If she keeps going at the rate she's going now, the dress will be finished in about three days."

"Really? She's working much faster than I expected! You can tell her to slow down a little, if you'd like—when you see her, that is. I wouldn't want her to neglect other matters for just one dress. Her employer's tasks should come before mine and after her health." Tamaki smiled warmly at his guest. It seemed almost ironic he would worry for the health of a seamstress in his state.

"I'll let her know, but I'll bet she'll keep working like she is. She's very eager to meet your expectations."

"Because I'm the prince or because you're my friend?" He offered his arm to Haruhi in indication for them to walk while they spoke.

She accepted it and found it very comfortable to do. "Both, I think."

His feet began to move. "How fortunate that you have such loyal friends."

Haruhi smiled to herself out of pride and gratitude. She nodded in reply.

"A letter came today from the young lady who will share a ride with you. She told me she will arrive midday tomorrow, so you will have to meet her a few miles out of town. Unfortunately, I can't provide transportation for you because it would draw too much attention."

"Who is it?"

"Her name is Renge. She's a little strange at times, but she means well. I've explained the situation to her and she's sworn to secrecy."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but how do you know you can trust her? How do you know she wouldn't do something to prevent me from coming to raise her chances of being chosen by you?"

"That's because she loves someone else, and she knows they wouldn't be allowed to see each other if she betrayed my trust."

"But that's--"

"It's not like that," he assured. "The gentleman is my personal royal advisor Kyoya. Because his age is so close to mine, most would fire him. She would be unable to visit him by coming to my castle—to prevent scandal—and he would have no means to visit her, either. In any case, it's a case of unrequited love. Kyoya chooses not to tell her otherwise for his own reasons. Political, I assume, or for occasions like this.

"Moving on," he said to continue their previous conversation. "She will have a proper change of clothes for you with a few to last until the party. On the way, she will make any revisions to your hair she deems necessary, but don't let her get carried away. Kyoya will be with her; and he knows, as well. They will come straight to the palace for you to get settled in."

"How will I know it's them?"

Tamaki reached into his pocket and handed her a photograph with a young lady holding the arm of a young man with glasses. Lanterns indicating a Japanese festival decorated the scenery behind them. "This is them," he said, "And you will have to show them the invitation I gave you to prove who you are since they have no picture of you."

Haruhi nodded. "Then how and when will I get my dress?"  
"I will have Renge send her men for it. Unlike my soldiers, they can travel around the city unnoticed. I trust you will tell Mrs. Hitachiin this for me?"

"How will she kn--?"

"I will give them my crest to show her," he answered before she could finish.

She relaxed into a smile. "Okay, then," she said. "Have we covered everything?"

He nodded. "I believe so."

"If you don't mind, I would like to go so I can check on Naomi."

"Certainly," he granted. "Give her my best." He released her arm and watched her climb over the wall. Walking back to the palace through the garden, he spotted the place near the lilac bushes where their day's encounter began. He saw something rumpled on the ground and it took a few moments for him to realize what it was: Haruhi's hat.

Meanwhile, Haruhi strode home briskly in the shadows of the twilight hour. As she drew closer to home, a cool breeze told her to adjust her hat. It was then she discovered she left it in the royal garden. With an agitated sigh, she concluded to try to hurry home unnoticed instead of going back for it. When she walked passed a darkly-shadowed alley, three large young men emerged. All smelled of alcohol.

"Hey, girlie," one greeted.

"Your hair is pretty," another commented.

The final had long, braided hair. "No," he disagreed, "I don't think it suits her." He looked to the other men with a grin. "What do you say, boys? A little shorter?"

The first man withdrew a sharp dagger from his belt. "I think it's a good idea."

Haruhi took a few small steps to the side to go around them. "Why don't you guys just go on home? Don't you have some birds to scare from the fields?"

During the few moments it took for the insult to sink in, Haruhi bolted into a run. Unfortunately, the men were faster than she and caught her quickly. One held her down while the long-haired leader gripped the front of her hair for slicing. The third watched for anyone who would interfere.

Two large portions of her bangs were hacked away by the time someone arrived. Once the newcomer was identified, the three scattered quickly to avoid bodily harm for being in another group's territory, even though it didn't belong to the said newcomer. The man ran forward.

"Haruhi, are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Let me walk you home." Casanoda helped her to her feet and escorted her home. He left shortly after to avoid damaging his reputation.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

He raised a hand as he walked away in response.

Haruhi disappeared inside her house and huffed at her reflection, "Great…" She turned to go to the bedroom. "Naomi," she called. "Naomi?"


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Tamaki opened his arms wide to greet his guests. "Renge, how nice it is to see you!" he declared, exchanging a light hug between them.

"Tamaki," she greeted happily, "thank you so much for inviting me! Kyoya was a fantastic escort." She turned to the spectacled advisor with a flirtatious smile.

He nodded to her in response. To Tamaki, he said, "And her cousin Lady Haruhi rode with us, your highness." His facial expression hinted to a demand for further explanation in private at a later time. "We hoped you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all," he replied, "Where is she?"

Haruhi stepped through the front entrance in a casual—for nobility, that is—dress and two white ribbons tied in her hair on either side of her face. Her feet were shoeless, but the length of the dress easily concealed it. Her bangs were cut into dramatic layers of long versus short, but it managed to look more than suitable.

Tamaki had to take a moment to breathe and reattain his voice before approaching. "You look… radiant," he said. He stepped closer and took her hands, whispering, "What happened to your hair? Why is it so short? Renge wasn't supposed to get carried away…"

"Actually, she did a really good job fixing it… Some guys cut my hair last night on my way home."

His eyes widened. "What? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she assured.

Kyoya coughed to bring awareness to the prince of Tamaki's close proximity to Haruhi. The prince promptly moved a step back. "Right," Tamaki muttered. "Well, you three must be hungry. Lunch is ready for you in the dining hall. The servants will take your luggage to your rooms."

Kyoya and Renge turned and began walking to the dining room. Tamaki moved to join them, but stopped when he heard Haruhi say, "Actually, Tamaki… I'm not really hungry."

His eyebrows and forehead scrunched slightly in confusion and concern. "Why? What's wrong?" He looked her face over. "What happened?"

"This morning, ah," she began while tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She blinked and tilted her eyes skyward, unintentionally revealing her developing tears. She cleared her throat. "Naomi passed away."

"_What_?"

She cleared her throat again and moved her gaze to the floor. "I left the room to get her some water since she was breathing hard." She paused to clear her throat again and sniffle. "When I came back, she just…" Her tears fell down her cheeks and she croaked, "… didn't wake up."

"Oh, Haruhi…"

Before he could move to comfort her, a young, blonde-haired girl came skipping up to him. "Why aren't you at dinner?" she asked him.

A mysteriously cloaked young man entered soon behind her. "Kirimi, you shouldn't interrupt," he scolded in a fatherly tone.

She ignored him and looked over at Haruhi. "I haven't seen you before," she commented.

"Kirimi," the cloaked figure scolded again.

"But I haven't!" she said in her defense.

"It's fine, Nekozawa," Tamaki said before the conflict could continue.

Kirimi stepped closer, much to her brother's dismay, to look more closely at Haruhi. "Why are you crying?" she asked innocently.

"I'm sorry, your highness," Nekozawa defended anxiously.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he replied. His tone told the palace mage to be silent.

Kirimi took Haruhi by the hand. "Come eat with me. It's not scary here; I'll show you around, myself!" she encouraged.

Haruhi wiped her tears carefully and smiled at the cheerful little girl. "Okay," she answered.

The little girl led her to the dining room where there was a large assortment of foods spread out over the large table. Renge and Kyoya were waiting respectfully for the prince's arrival to eat. Dinner conversation felt tight, but Kirimi didn't seem to notice and chattered happily to Haruhi which helped relax the room.

As promised, after dinner Kirimi led a tour for her newfound friend around the palace while Renge retired to her suite, Kyoya talked with Tamaki in private, and Nekozawa disappeared to his quarters. The two ventured throughout the castle in a giant circle. Kirimi seemed very entertained to be the guide. It wasn't every day she knew more about something than someone older than she. In the process, Haruhi was shown to the suite she would be staying in.

The last room they went to, they found Tamaki sitting on the loveseat. It was a cozy den where, apparently, the prince used for reading in peace. Books lined a shelf against the wall, one open in his hands. He set a bookmark inside and closed it when they entered, setting it down on a nearby table.

"Finished with your tour?" he asked.

"Yep," Kirimi chimed.

"Good! Why don't you go upstairs? Your brother has been looking for you," he suggested politely.

She agreed and skipped away. Haruhi entered the den and stood in front of the loveseat. "What were you reading?" she asked.

"_Inferno_ by Dante," he said, "Please sit." As she did so, he asked, "What did you think of your tour?"

She nodded in approval. "It's amazing. Your tour guide is very good." She laughed at the mention of her energetic guide.

He laughed, as well. "With how much exploring she does, I wouldn't doubt if she knew the palace better than anyone else." He turned where he sat in the seat and placed a hand over Haruhi's, pensively watching them.

To her questioning facial expression, he said, "At the ball, there are going to be many nobles and princesses here. Many of them are very beautiful and grow envious easily. I want you to know that, even though this ball is supposed to be where I choose who I want, I've already made my decision."

She decided not to jump to conclusions. "And?"

His hand tilted to the side of hers to gently hold it and rub his thumb over the top of her hand. "You have the kindest heart I have seen since my mother. I can't even see the other ladies; your beauty has blinded me to them."

"You're exaggerating," she muttered.

"I can't exaggerate what is true," he objected. "I've chosen you, and nothing would make me happier than for you to accept my proposal."

She thought a moment about the promise she made to the twins. "I would have to live here?"

"Well, yes," he answered.

She shook her head. "I promised Hikaru and Kaoru that I wouldn't leave them."

"They can live here, as well!" he declared. "So can Mr. and Mrs. Hitachiin. There's plenty of room and they'll live like royalty. They are like your family, so it would only be appropriate. And once we're married, I'll be king and I'll have the power to change that stupid law and have your father released."

His other hand moved to assist the other in holding her hand. "Please," he pled, "I'll do anything to make you happy."

Before she could reply, he said, "Just think it over. You don't have to decide until the ball."

Tamaki carefully leaned in to kiss her. When he was barely inches away, a blonde-haired little boy popped up behind the furniture, eye-level with the backrest of the loveseat. "Whatcha doin'?" he asked cutely.

The prince jerked backwards in surprise, and then he sighed while rubbing his eyes in exasperation. "Hi, Honey," he greeted.

The boy leapt over the back of the couch to sit between them, smiling at both. A large, pink, stuffed rabbit rest in his lap. "Hello," he greeted. He turned around to call, "In here, Takashi!"

A tall, dark-haired man entered the room.

Haruhi looked at the two and finally greeted, "Hello."

Tamaki introduced them, keeping his hand over his eyes—thumb, eyebrows, and index finger forming a triangle off his face—with as much dignity and good manners he could summon. "Haruhi, these are my bodyguards-slash-trainers Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka. They go by 'Honey' and 'Mori,' typically."

"Nice to meet you," she said.

Mori formed a brief humming noise in response.

Honey smiled up at her. "Nice to meet you, too, Miss Haruhi," he said. He looked between the two again and asked, "What kingdom are you from?"

"She rules a small territory outside of Renge's kingdom," Tamaki answered. To distract Honey from further questions, the prince said, "The chefs should have tonight's desserts finished by now, Honey. I'm sure they'll give you some if you ask."

His eyes lit up. "Really?" He turned around to face his friend, rabbit held tightly in his arms in anticipation. "Did you hear that, Takashi?" Looking over to Haruhi, he asked, "Do you want some sweets, too?"

"Um," she said uncertainly while her eyes flickered to Tamaki, "No, thank you."

"Would you like to come with us?"

Noticing she seemed uncertain how to reply, Tamaki said, "I think she would like to freshen up a little before dinner; she's had a long day."

Honey pouted sadly. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Tamaki answered. He looked over his small friend's head. "Why don't you head to your room? I'll come for you when dinner's ready."

She nodded, stood, and left the den. Haruhi would let Tamaki provide whatever story he wanted to the two and she wouldn't be able to accidentally reveal herself with unintentional facial expressions to anything. She retraced her steps to locate her suite with little difficulty.

She was speechless once she stepped inside. The luggage—which Renge supplied—was piled in suitcases against the wall, but she found they were empty and the servants had put all the clothes into the walk-in closet. She couldn't believe the size of her bedroom; the room was almost as big as her house in floor space. Other than a queen-sized bed against the right wall, there was a small sitting area circled at the foot of her bed; a desk fully equipped with paper and writing utensils in the far corner to the right of the bed; a doorway to the attached bathroom straight and to her left; and double-doors with full-length mirrors on the outsides that led to her closet on the same wall as her bathroom. The door to her closet was located next to her bed to provide room for the bathroom. She took a few steps inside and discovered a large vanity facing the wall to her left so, if someone had been sitting in front of it, she would be on their left.

On the other side of the vanity, she saw long burgundy curtains that stopped just above the floor, barely touching the carpet. She went straight to the north-facing curtains and pulled them to the side. The entire wall was a giant window exempting the glass door in the center. The metal panes that split the large glass hid the door gracefully into rectangles and triangles. A balcony waited just outside of it, warm and welcoming and bright.

Haruhi opened the door wide and stepped out, leaving the door open in case it locked her out accidentally. She walked to the railing and put her hands on it, hands parallel to her shoulders. Though she wasn't afraid of heights, she had enough sense to know anything can break and it never hurt to be careful. She looked out across the city. She saw a lot of buildings, and she was high enough that she could see past the city and see fields of grass outside it.

She had no idea how long she stood overlooking the city when she felt someone come up behind her. Her first instinct was to grip the railing tightly and plant her feet in case the newcomer tried to send her over the edge. When a pair of arms reached around her, she turned to see who it was.

Tamaki's hands reached to rest over hers and relax her grip gently. He smiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said.

Her back rested comfortably against his chest as she relaxed. "This is amazing."

"Do you like it?"

She looked up at the few early stars that were brave enough to appear before the sun left the sky entirely over the horizon, the sky still painted with brilliant colors. "It's beautiful."

"I picked this room since I thought you'd like to see the sky and because it has curtains in case it storms. You have plenty of privacy here."

"It's so big…" she commented in awe. "Whose was it?"

"Since the last time it was remodeled? Nobody's," he answered. "My mother had it this way in case she ever had a daughter. She would be happy someone is using it. I think she would have liked you very much."

They watched the scenery for a few moments longer before Haruhi asked, "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes," he replied as he stepped to her right and turned around almost 180 degrees. He offered his right hand to her left. She accepted and they hooked their elbows loosely to walk.

"I talked with Honey and Mori; they won't ask you any further questions," he said, "They're filled in on the situation now. I hadn't had a chance to speak with them before you came."

"I can't believe you have a little kid as a bodyguard," she commented, "He must be really good."

"Oh, he's good," he replied, "but he isn't a child; he's the same age as Mori."

"Oh," she said in surprise, "I would have never guessed."

As they walked through the palace, they kept the topic of conversation off Haruhi in case of eavesdroppers. They discussed Nekozawa and his usefulness to the royal family. She learned he'd lived at the palace since he was a child, though he was still in training at the time.

Everyone was already at dinner when they arrived except for the king and queen. The two sat and began to eat, delving deep into conversation. When the queen finally entered, she sat in her seat and called, "Tamaki?"

Tamaki looked up at her and fell silent, his smile fading. "Yes?" He began to feel tapping on his arm and shooed it away with the opposite hand.

"I believe you should turn in early for the evening, like we agreed. All this excitement could make you sick," she said calmly.

He glanced at his guests. "I don't feel ill." When he felt a hand nudge his shoulder again, he said quietly, "In a moment, Kirimi." The moment the words were out of his mouth, he saw Kirimi sitting across the table from him. He turned his head only a fraction to recognize the familiar apparition. He pretended like he saw nothing and looked back to his stepmother with a sigh.

"You're right," he consented. Tamaki stood. "Please, excuse me, everyone. Have a good night and I will see you in the morning."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Haruhi awoke in the morning to the sounds of Tamaki's screams and staff running to his quarters. She leapt out of bed and sprinted to the door of his room to see what was causing the bloodcurdling cries. Servants already crowded the entrance and prevented her from entering. Normally she would have slipped past easily, but Honey and several servants were assigned specifically to keep any palace guests back.

"Honey, what's going on?" she asked.

"The doctors are looking at the prince right now," he answered. "He doesn't like shots."

"What's wrong with him?" She didn't believe that was the full story. She had never heard of a shot that painful.

"Nothing," he said, "He's okay."

She heard another horrible scream that made her hair stand on end. It sounded like his limbs were being sawed off one by one. When Kyoya arrived, Honey went to him to bring him up to speed on the actual situation. She seized her chance and weaved through the servants and into the room.

As soon as she walked into the room, she heard a loud crash and saw a mass of blankets float to the ground as Tamaki crashed to the floor from his bed. To add to the crash, Mori had been trying to restrain the prince. On the floor, Mori's legs now pinned Tamaki's. The blonde was on his back with arms forced into a T, pinned at the wrists by his bodyguard. Since her gaze was in that area, she noticed the blood on Tamaki's hands. When she stepped farther in the room, she saw where the blood had come from: Tamaki's neck.

No one in the room was speaking, but the prince screamed, "Quiet! I don't want to hear any more!"

Haruhi looked to his tear-stained face and saw his eyes were tightly shut and his head tossed side-to-side like trying to escape listening to whatever it was. In moments, his eyes flew open with a gasp. They were red from the tears, but that was hardly the focus. He was thrashing wildly against Mori's restraints.

Tamaki tried to catch his breath and cringe away from the living corpse that he believed was pinning him down. The rotten stench from his deceased mother's breath disgusted him. Her rotted teeth smiled sweetly at him. He did his best to keep his head turned to the side to not look at her. He heard the familiar sound of the echoing voices that mimicked the sound of his own. It filled the room from all directions, but somehow felt to be whispering in his ears at the same time.

"Get off me! Let me go," Tamaki demanded.

"We're going to kill you--"

"No!"

"—and then that piece of street garbage--"

"Leave me alone!" he begged.

"—and there's nothing you can do about it!" the voices sneered.

Over the course of the yelling, Haruhi couldn't believe no one dared to try to console the prince. She surrendered and moved to him, herself. She knelt above his head and placed her hands on either side of his face firmly to reduce his thrashing and in order to attempt to guide his gaze to her face.

"Tamaki, it's okay," she insisted, "No one is trying to hurt you. Calm down, we're trying to help you."

His struggles soon slowed, and his eyes clenched tightly shut to avoid the sights that plagued him. His breathing was heavy due to the excessive movement, but he appeared to be listening. Haruhi felt slightly relieved.

Tears sparkled in the corners of his eyes. "Please, don't strangle me again," he whimpered quietly.

"No one is going to hurt you," she assured. She used one hand to stroke his hair to the side soothingly. "It's all right, Tamaki," she comfortingly muttered, "It's all right."

His eyes opened slowly to stare into space in her direction. He appeared very tired and worn-down. His tensed muscles relaxed under Mori's grip so much that, if he never blinked or ceased breathing, he would appear dead. He was silent and did not move other than the occasional tear that streamed back to his ears unless caught by Haruhi's hands.

To the far side of the room, two doctors stared skeptically at the scene with the royal mage. "Nekozawa," the more-experienced doctor ordered, "explain this." Nothing they had done could console him. Why could she?

The cloaked man crept an inch forward in interest. "Every being on this planet possesses a unique energy unlike anyone else's. Even in identical twins, their energies are not the same. Somehow this girl has identical energy to the late queen, the prince's mother. Though they are not the same, it still has many likenesses. One less experienced than I might mistake them as one and the same."

"What about it? Why does it matter?"

"The queen had a very magnetic energy that drew people in. It was increased with Prince Tamaki naturally because he was her son and then even more so because he has opposing energy. It's just like a pair of magnets in that they draw each other in subconsciously," Nekozawa explained. "It is hypnotic to his subconscious in a calming way and balances him out. Fire and water… earth and wind… sun and moon… day and night… They're opposite but cannot exist properly without the other."

The doctor thought a moment in silence. He ordered his colleague, "Let's give him a light sedative since he's not moving about so he can sleep it off."

Both moved very quickly in case the prince returned to his destructive behavior. When they knelt by Tamaki's arm, Haruhi put her arm in their path and demanded, "What are you doing?"

"We're going to sedate him," the doctor said, angry he was being questioned about his profession by someone who shouldn't be in the room in the first place.

"Unless you want him to panic again, explain what you're doing, first," she replied. Without removing her arm or waiting for a response, she redirected her attention to the prince gently. "Tamaki, the doctors are going to give you a shot. It'll help you sleep. You'll be all right."

He continued to stare motionlessly at her. His only response was a routine blink.

Haruhi slowly removed her arm from the doctors' path to grant them permission. When they poked the needle into the vein inside his elbow, his arm twitched violently in the grips of the two doctors and his bodyguard. Haruhi continued to console him quietly, and they were met with no further resistance from the prince.

Tamaki's eyelids drifted closed and his mouth opened a fraction in the drug-induced sleep just enough for his lips to part. As his head fell to the side in Haruhi's grasp, the door opened to reveal Kyoya and Honey entering.

"How did you get in here?" Kyoya demanded of Haruhi.

Mori continued to hold down the prince until the sedative could take its full effect. Though he was facing away from the door, he called his friend. "Mitsukuni."

It was all he needed to hear. Honey began the process of removing Haruhi from the room as quickly and politely as possible. He led her to the dining hall for breakfast by the hand since her gaze repeatedly drifted behind her in attempts to keep the prince's room within sight or earshot. Once she was sure she could no longer see or hear anything from the room, she turned around.

"How often does that happen?" she asked.

The childish-looking boy gnawed on his lower lip from his inner battle whether to tell her or not. "It depends…" he said slowly. "Usually it happens every few weeks or so, but it's been happening more and more…"

"Has that ever happened before?"

He shook his head. "The only time it's even come close is once when Prince Tamaki was younger. The doctors thought he was going to die."

"I remember hearing about that," she muttered.

"All of the best doctors were examining him, but they couldn't find anything. The king even cancelled all of his meetings to make sure he would be all right." He thought silently for a moment. "What was really strange was that Nekozawa refused to examine him with the rest of the doctors…"

"Really?" she asked in bewilderment and interest.

As he nodded, Kirimi skipped up to Haruhi with a smile, taking her hand happily. "Ready for breakfast?"

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Haruhi knocked lightly on the large wooden door to prevent the sound from traveling down the halls. In moments it cracked open and she heard someone say, "Come in, Haruhi."

She entered and closed the door behind her. "How did you know it was me?"

"What kind of mage would I be if I didn't?" Nekozawa countered while he poured over several books on his desk.

"I need to talk to you."

"I know, and I can't tell you what I know about the matter."

"How do you know what I was going to say? Don't tell me it's your job to know that, too."

He stood from his desk and turned, walking to a shelf of vials. "No," he replied while removing a vial to examine the label, "I overheard you talking to Honey before breakfast." He thrust the vial at her while her mouth formed a small "o" and moved to another one on the shelf. "Drink that," he commanded, "It'll keep you hydrated."

He pulled a few vials off the shelves along with one empty one, referring several times to one of the books on his desk. "As you know, it's also my job to make sure anyone who enters the palace has no intentions of harm towards the royal family. Of course, my sister's attachment to you motivated me to look a little more thoroughly than usual at you. Nothing personal," he added quickly on the end.

He began combining specific amounts of different vials into the empty one. "I must say I was surprised what I saw." Glancing over, he noticed the liquid she held was untouched. "Drink it; it's not poisoned."

After a moment's hesitation, Haruhi uncorked the container and drank it gingerly. "So why can't you tell me what you know about Tamaki's illness?"

"Take a seat," he instructed while he worked. "Are you aware that the prince's mother wasn't originally arranged to marry the king?" He held the unfinished mixture up to the dim candlelight to examine its color. Without waiting for her to answer, he continued, "The king had been arranged to marry the present queen until he met the prince's mother at his ally's engagement party. Still, since the three got along with each other, the queen lived in the castle often as a guest for several years until she took permanent resident here."

She sat on a cushy chair nearby, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "No, I wasn't."

He nodded sagely while he reread something in one of the books. "When the queen was so inclined, she even assisted around the castle—and still does occasionally—with the excuse that she was making herself useful. She was even used as a political substitute when the late queen was ill. You see, the prince's mother had a weak immune system, so she often fell ill ever since she was a child."

She nodded in understanding.

His gaze drifted away for a few moments. "The late queen was a very kind woman."

"It's a shame she got sick," she quietly announced.

Nekozawa returned his attention to his book. "Yes," he replied even more quietly than Haruhi. He added two vials at once, careful to keep the amounts equal at all times as he poured slowly. "Often times, Prince Tamaki practiced piano in his mother's room when she couldn't leave her bed. Even if he wasn't allowed inside, he played it in the nearby den so she could hear. Even though bold doctors would scold him for it, he kept playing and his mother always encouraged him and said she loved it. At all times, he was either studying or playing the piano for his mother. The more ill she grew, the more he would play."

"How thoughtful of him," she commented, "He must have loved her very much."

He stood. "Indeed," he replied as he began to search a shelf of powders. After he grabbed two, Nekozawa returned to his desk. He poured one powder into the watery mixture, but only a few teaspoons' worth. He swirled the vial in his grasp to mix it.

"Prince Tamaki wouldn't play a piano for over a year after his mother passed away. It took him even longer to be able to play without shedding tears," he said, "Though he wouldn't make a spectacle, many times he would just sit in front of a piano for a long time with a very depressed expression on his face. He rarely cried in those times, though. I think he just thought… and remembered."

"I don't think I can even imagine him like that…"

"He began to really pull out of it when Kyoya, Honey, and Mori took occupation here. Though I already lived here," he smiled eerily to prove his point, "we didn't talk much." He placed a large dollop of the second, blue powder on a palate and poured some of the liquid mixture onto it. Using a small rod, he mixed them together to make a paste.

"What are you making?" Haruhi finally asked.

Nekozawa turned around, palate in hand, and began to gather the paste on the rod. "As I said before, I can't tell you what I know. This, however, may be able to. Now drink this." He handed her the purple liquid.

After she drank the foul-tasting liquid, he instructed, "Close your eyes."

She hesitated for several seconds before suspiciously complying. He spread the paste over her eyelids and a strip over her forehead. Haruhi soon felt heavy and saw colors flash before her.

"Make yourself comfortable," Nekozawa's voice echoed distantly.


	10. Chapter 9

**[Author's Note:]** Just to make this clear, Haruhi's hair is LONG in this fanfiction. I plan to have her hair like it was (with the wig) in the last episode of the anime series. I just prefer her hair with the bit of layering at the ends and not so straight like in her middle school days. I think it flatters her looks better. While I'm on that subject, the dress for the ball that Mrs. Hitachiin is making is the same dress, as well. The only alteration I'm making on the dress is that the bow in the front isn't so big since I thought it made it look a little silly. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and buckle up for the ride! **[/Author's Note]**

**Chapter 9**

Haruhi suddenly found herself in the middle of the main hall of the palace. A beautiful, blonde woman held an infant girl in her arms while the small forms of Nekozawa and Tamaki sat in opposite corners reading. Both boys appeared to be in sour moods.

Tamaki whined, "Mother, may I go eat now?"

"Are you finished with your book?" the woman asked.

He pouted. "No."

"Finish it and stop whining; you'll be done faster," she replied.

The little Nekozawa closed his book. "May I come out now, your highness?"  
"Are you finished reading?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"All right," she acquiesced. "Now you two make up."

Tamaki stood and met Nekozawa at the half-way point between them. The prince scowled immaturely. "I'm sorry I cut the hood of your cloak," he grumbled.

"I feel remorse for pouring acid on your teddy bear," the apprentice mage replied.

"Mother, he didn't say he was sorry!" Tamaki called to her.

She walked over with the baby girl in her arms. "That's his way," she explained.

Nekozawa held up his arms and intercepted his little sister from the queen. With the size ratio, Haruhi was surprised he could lift and carry the girl since the boy hadn't yet had a growth spurt. Apparently, the queen was also surprised. She asked, "Are you sure you can carry her?"

He nodded. "I'm used to it," he said. Nekozawa turned and trotted away to the dining room while Kirimi waved cutely by opening and closing her hand at the prince and his mother with a grin. He had yet to grow any teeth since she was under 12 months.

After Tamaki returned to his corner, Haruhi recognized the woman who entered the room as the queen-to-be. She was dressed even more elegantly than the queen. She had a look of distaste in her eyes.

"Why are those children even here? If the public finds out you're taking in orphans, there will be orphans trying to get in every which way!" she declared.

"He's a very talented young mage, with a little training; and if orphans pile at the door, so be it. I'm actually setting up plans to make a few within the next two years," she declared. Haruhi knew none had been made. "Besides, do you remember that psychic that I spoke with last week?"

"Yes," she said suspiciously.

"She told me street children with close family would save the royal family."

"You should know better than to trust a psychic," she replied.

"Even if it never happens, it won't hurt anything having them here," the queen insisted.

The future queen looked closely at Tamaki's mother. "Do you feel well, your majesty? You look pale today."

She smiled. "I think I caught something the other day. I haven't been able to keep much down. I'm doing better today, though."

"Oh, yes," she replied, "the doorman told me not to disturb you when I arrived last night." She looked over to the prince and found him nearly asleep over his book. It was boring for him. "Why don't you get some rest? You don't want to start hallucinating again… And it looks like Prince Tamaki needs a rest, as well." The woman lifted a hand to measure the queen's temperature by the warmth of her forehead. She smiled teasingly. "Why couldn't I have a _healthy_ younger sister like everyone else?"

The queen smiled back. "Maybe that's why I was born with the good looks to make up for it," she teased in return.

Laughing, the elder sibling removed the hand from her sister's forehead. "But really, you should take better care of yourself."

The queen crossed the room and called over a strong servant that was walking by and he scooped her young, teenage son into his arms. He was almost too large to carry, but he didn't wake while he was jumbled around for a good grip. "Could you tell the kitchen servants to bring our lunches to our rooms, please? Tamaki will likely want something small and simple. I would like cream of broccoli soup."

She nodded respectfully. "Yes, your majesty." Though she was her sister, she was still the queen. To not treat her as such would be like blasphemy. Haruhi knew this even if she felt it was silly since they were sisters, after all.

Haruhi quickly found herself in the familiar room—though filled with less items—that she knew belonged to Nekozawa. She saw his young form sitting on a bench and observing Tamaki's aunt with curiosity. Holding up a small container, she asked, "This is used for rat poison, right?"

He nodded happily, proud that he knew one of the ingredients he'd been supplied with to start more advanced potions. "Yep!"

"Do you mind if I have it? I'll buy you plenty more," she bargained.

He nodded. "I'm not to any spells that use that yet, anyway."

Haruhi suddenly saw Nekozawa vanish from the transition to another time, though she remained in the same room. Tamaki's aunt was searching the mage's books when Nekozawa entered. She could tell at least a year had passed because he appeared to be almost her age and he'd finally had done some extensive growing.

"Excuse me," he asked, "What are you doing here?" As a teenage boy and a learning mage, Nekozawa valued his privacy more and more, and he didn't like his belongings tampered with without his permission.

Her head snapped up. "Oh, it's just you," she said in relief. "Do you have today's dose of the queen's medicine ready?"

"Yes, it's over there," he replied as he pointed to a nearby table where the queen's medicine was clearly labeled. "Why were you looking through my books?"

"I was just curious," she answered. The woman crossed the room to a shelf of powerful chemicals the mage had recently acquired. She ran her fingers along several vials and tubes until she stopped at one. "This one takes smell and flavor from an object, correct?"

He nodded. "That's what the text says." Since he didn't have a proper instructor, the boy had to teach himself everything he knew about magic and potions from books.

"Does it react badly with anything?" she asked while she continued looking at the other chemicals.

Haruhi noticed that, while Nekozawa looked up the question in his book, she snagged the chemical in question and tucked it away secretly. She grew even more surprised when she saw the woman take another chemical with skull and crossbones on the label. What could it be for?"  
Nekozawa finally looked away from his book to reply. "Not that I can see."

The woman picked up her sister's medicine and smiled warmly. "I see," she said, "Well, keep studying. I'll see you at dinner. It should be done soon since more servants are free now that her majesty has calmed enough to sleep." When she opened the door, the sounds of Tamaki's fingers gliding across piano keys filled the room with his hopeful dreams.

Haruhi was surprised to find the scene wasn't changing to another location. Nekozawa had left the room right after Tamaki's aunt. She spotted a clock, and she saw the hands moving rapidly around. She occasionally saw a part of the room blur when Nekozawa was present. She felt an air of gloom as he entered again and her surroundings slowed to normal pace.

Haruhi saw Kirimi fast asleep in his arms and dressed in black. She assumed the queen's funeral and the king's immediate remarriage had ended. Nekozawa looked especially dark, as did his cloak. She wondered if it was new. He set his tiny sister in a cushioned chair that sported a soft pillow. The girl didn't stir with the gentle movement, comfortable in her brother's handling.

Nekozawa slumped into the chair in front of his desk and looked down at the book on his desk. He leafed through the book and stopped on something he had needed to work on lately. It was one of the most difficult and advanced feats of the text. To take his mind off the day's events, he decided to attempt it.

Haruhi read the text over his shoulder while he worked. It surprised her to learn it involved a crystal ball after it had been dipped in a combination of chemicals. She thought crystal balls were only used by psychics and fortunetellers. The spell appeared to be one to show visions and answer questions with pictures like clues.

She watched him make it, focusing all his energy and attention on the task. It proved to be very successful in distracting him from the death of his motherly figure. His concentration radiated off him and his face was stone-set in thought while he worked. Kirimi slept like a rock, undisturbed by the clanking of glass.

He used an oversized metal clamp to dip the ball in the concoction so it wouldn't come in contact with his skin prematurely. Setting it on its stand on his desk, he quickly checked his book again. He sat in his chair and took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pressed his palms to either side of the ball.

"In the time of questions and uncertainty, answers lie in the deepest depths of the darkest shadows," Nekozawa recited from the book from his photographic memory. The ball glowed while fog appeared to swirl inside it, though the mage could not see behind his closed eyes. "Now," he commanded as he opened his eyes sharply, "show them to me!"

He examined it, wondering if he succeeded. He decided to test it. "Where is my sister?"

The fog cleared to reveal Kirimi sleeping in her place.

Nekozawa smiled victoriously and decided to use another question. "What came first: the chicken or the egg?"

It showed nothing and he pouted. "Damn…" He thought a while for another question and Haruhi watched his mood change to depressed again.

His fingers flexed on the crystal with indecision. "What killed Tamaki Suoh's mother the queen?"

It showed him his room, specifically his shelf of chemicals. It zoomed in on a container labeled "cyanide" before a hand gripped it. Nekozawa leaned in closer in anticipation. "Who is that?" he demanded.

The view quickly zoomed out to reveal the new queen: Tamaki's aunt. Haruhi gasped and Nekozawa's jaw dropped. He stood quickly and went to his shelf to check. It was gone. He covered his mouth in horror. "No…" he whispered.

He went straight to the door to alert the king only to find the new queen standing there with her hand extended like she was about to open the door. She looked over his shoulder and saw the floating images of her and the deadly poison in the crystal ball. He glared.

"Out of my way," he growled.

"You're not going to talk with my husband, are you?" she asked venomously.

He continued to glare. "You killed her," he snarled quietly, "You were the one who made her so sick!"

She forced him inside his room and closed the door behind them so they couldn't be overheard. "Listen here, you little brat," she snapped barely quietly enough that Kirimi wouldn't wake, "If you breathe a word of this to _anyone--_"

"I'll gladly die for the _real_ queen of the Kingdom of Ouran!" he declared fearlessly.

She smirked wickedly. "Whoever mentioned _you_?"

He went pale. "What do you mean?"

She looked over at the sleeping girl. "I prefer the indirect approach. If you don't follow my orders, your sister will die."

He gaped at the woman. "But she has nothing to do with it!" he protested feebly.

"But she has to do with _you_, doesn't she?" she countered.

Haruhi watched his determination fade to defeat. Kirimi was something he could never risk or bargain. The queen knew she had won and smiled victoriously before she left the room with the reminder, "Not a word, Nekozawa."

He clenched his fists and they shook with anger and helplessness. His eyes shut tightly to fight back the tears that burned behind his eyelids as they threatened to form. He quickly returned to the ball and gripped it desperately.

"Why," he begged it, "What does she want?"

He saw a tombstone with the prince's name on it and then one beside it with the king's. The queen stood over them for the funeral service. She had very extravagant clothing and robes wrapped and draped over her. Her crown was large to indicate she was the country's sole ruler. The grass under her turned to gold and jewels to indicate wealth. The symbolism of each item told the mage she was after power, honor, and money.

As the emotional storm bubbled and rose inside him, the sounds of Kirimi waking from a disturbing dream pulled him back to earth. He withdrew a puppet from his cloak and walked over to where she lay. He began to entertain her back to sleep with the cat-shaped hand puppet.

Haruhi was pulled out of the illusion like someone was dragging her out of a deep body of water. She knew she was fully out because she felt the paste-like concoction over her eyelids and forehead once again. The room lacked the natural light that leaked through the shades over his window, indicating hours had passed. She understood why he told her to drink the hydrating liquid.

She took a warm, damp towel that was placed near her for convenience and wiped off the paste. "Tamaki…" she whispered in disbelief.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Haruhi walked briskly down the corridors to Tamaki's bedroom. She burst inside to find the prince still in his drug-induced sleep. Mori and Honey were both present in the suite, and the child-like guard happily ate a small cake where he sat. Kyoya was preparing the prince's next dose of medicine.

She went straight up to Kyoya and ripped the medicine out of his grasp. "You can't give him this," she said firmly.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded as he took it back.

Mori stood from his place beside Honey. "Why not?" he asked.

The door opened to reveal the queen. Haruhi went straight to the prince's bedside. "You can't give him anymore of that medicine," Haruhi repeated.

The queen furrowed her eyebrows. "Mori, retrieve my personal guards from outside the door, please."

He went immediately while Haruhi glared protectively at her friend's soon-to-be murderer. Two large men re-entered with Mori and the queen commanded, "Take her somewhere she won't disturb anyone. The prince needs his medicine, and I won't allow a guest to jeopardize his health this way. I'll join you in a moment."

As the guards advanced on Haruhi, she attempted to outmaneuver them several times. She leapt over the prince and the bed to the opposite side to buy herself time to retreat to another corner of the room. The guards advanced and she backed her way around the room rapidly, steps light as feathers. She would not turn her back on these men if she had a choice. While her thievery skills from food-gathering on the streets allowed her to dodge them a few times, the unfamiliar layout of the room caused her to trip over a small table and, consequently, be caught. She decided to plead with Mori, Honey, and Kyoya while she struggled in the men's grasps as they escorted her out. If anyone would listen, they would.

"Listen to me! If you give him anymore of that, he'll die! It's what killed his mother! Please," she pled.

Kyoya listened, but he did nothing. He could do nothing against the queen. What she said intrigued him, though. Accusations like those had to have some basis. After all, there's always a little truth to a lie, right?

The queen eyed Kyoya sternly for a moment before smiling thinly. "She's even more spirited than her cousin Renge, isn't she?"

He smiled and made a brief hum to resemble a chuckle as he nodded. "If you would like to turn in for the night, your majesty, we will give the prince his medicine for you."

She eyed the container of medicine first before nodding. "Thank you," she said, "Good-night, gentlemen." The woman left the room and closed the door behind her quietly.

Instead of retiring to her bedroom for the evening, she went to the solitary dungeon located several floors below the palace where her guards waited with Haruhi. "Haruhi Fujioka," she stated slowly with enunciation. "I knew you would be trouble."

Through her glaring, Haruhi asked, "How do you know my name?"

"I read a newspaper several years ago with your picture in it when your mother died. Likewise, your disgusting father dropped a picture of you when he was placed in his cell. I never forget a face."

"My dad is _not_ dis_gusting_," Haruhi spat.

The woman sneered, "Indeed…" She sighed dramatically. "It's just such a tragedy for poor little Tamaki, though."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

The queen continued her dramatic manner of speech. "He'll be just heartbroken to find out the girl he was falling in love with was trying to trick him to take control of the kingdom. Your father even worked with terrorists to try to overthrow the royal family! Oh, I wonder how he will feel about _that_!"

"_What_? My dad _never_--!"

"And when he learns you attempted to _kill_ him by not allowing us to give him his _medicine--_"

"_You're_ killing him!"

"—his poor heart will just break into pieces!" She smiled with a sick chuckle. "Well, if he ever wakes up, anyway."

Haruhi paled but continued to glare. "You would kill your own nephew? I don't know what kind of relationship you had with your sister, but Tamaki couldn't have done anything so bad that--"

"That is none of your business," she spat. The queen calmed into a smile and signaled her guards to follow. She led the three to go to another solitary cell farther underneath the palace. She indicated to a door.

"This is the water supply for the fountain and pond for the garden. It is also where the excess water from rain goes so they don't overflow. It fills up surprisingly quickly," the queen said. She opened the door to reveal a ladder that went nearly fifty feet down to the surface of the water. Chains were attached to the stone wall just above the water's surface by barely a foot.

The queen turned to her guards and smirked. "This looks comfortable enough for her," she declared. Her smirk widened into a smile when she saw Haruhi's jaw drop in horror.

Haruhi didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to swim.

Kyoya opened the curtains in the prince's suite. After adjusting his glasses, he went to Tamaki's bedside to check his present condition. The boy appeared to be breathing easier and in a peaceful sleep. He pondered again what Haruhi said the previous night. Could she be right?

The queen walked in unannounced. "How is he?" she asked when she saw Kyoya. Mori and Honey were absent, squeezing in some early-morning training since the prince had not yet awakened.

"He's still out and there's no sign he's in any serious distress at the moment," he replied professionally, "Overall I would say he's stable, but he could still go either way."

He crossed his arms leisurely, hooking his hands around his elbows securely. "You look tired this morning, your grace. Why don't you go to breakfast? You have been working yourself much too hard lately. I will give Prince Tamaki his medicine again for you."

"How thoughtful of you," she answered. She raised one hand over her mouth, stifling a yawn. "I appreciate the help, thank you." The queen watched him withdraw the medicine from his pocket before she left the room.

Once he was sure she was gone, Kyoya retreated to the restroom. He concluded that he was unsure if the lack of medicine was helping, but it definitely wasn't hurting him. Unlike the night before, he dumped the entire container's contents in the toilet rather than just one dose. He pulled out another container of placebo tablets and put them in Tamaki's medicine container. They looked exactly the same.

He flushed the toilet and returned to the main area in order to settle on the small couch. He waited several hours there in silence even when Mori and Honey returned. By noon, Tamaki finally stirred and opened his eyes groggily. Kyoya watched while the prince scanned the room slowly, likely not seeing half of what he looked at.

When he sat up in bed, Kyoya stood to greet him. "Good morning, your majesty. How are you feeling?"

He brushed his hair out of his face, still gathering his bearings. "Kyoya?" he asked. Tamaki looked around the room again, his memories floating back to him slowly. "What happened? How long have I been asleep?" he asked slowly.

"You had another episode," the advisor replied, "You have been asleep since yesterday morning."

"That long?" He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and he began to rub at his bandaged neck absently to examine the injuries. "Bring me some clothes, would you?"

"You should stay in bed today and rest," Kyoya advised. Nonetheless he gathered a set of clothes for the prince. He gripped Tamaki's upper arm to pull him to his feet since the lack of movement had weakened his muscles. Once he was sure Tamaki's balance was secure, Kyoya handed him the clothes.

"Thank you," the prince said. "Could you tell the kitchen I would like three hard-boiled eggs with toast? I also would like Haruhi to see me immediately; I have to discuss things with her."

Kyoya nodded and left the room with Honey and Mori so Tamaki could change clothes. The young bodyguards remained outside the door while Kyoya followed orders. When he returned, Nekozawa and the head doctor were examining Tamaki's health again. The prince seemed displeased Kyoya returned alone.

"Where is Haruhi?" he demanded.

"No one has seen her this morning," Kyoya replied, "and she isn't in her room."

"What?" Tamaki momentarily forgot the doctor was listening to his heartbeat and took a few steps toward his advisor. "Who saw her last? Did she say anything yesterday?"

"I believe the queen saw her last," he answered. "She was behaving strangely so the queen talked privately with her."

All eyes—except for Nekozawa's—turned to the door as the queen entered. She looked around the room, smiling when she saw her nephew. "Tamaki, you had us all worried," she declared, "Your father has been worried sick!"

He wasn't so cheery. "What did you say to Lady Haruhi?"

Her smile faded. "Why don't you sit down?" She cast a brief glance to the doctor that told him to pause his examination and move to the side of the room to "review his findings thus far." Queen and prince sat on the bedside.

She brushed Tamaki's hair gently to one side like a mother to her baby. "I don't know how to tell you this, dear, but Haruhi isn't who you thought she was."

At first, he thought she was simply meaning she knew Haruhi wasn't Renge's cousin. The expression on her face told him there was more to the story. He decided to stick to his story of having no possible idea what she could be talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Her father and her work with a group of terrorists that are trying to overthrow the royal family. Last night she tried to kill you by not allowing us to give you your medicine."

He suddenly felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. Haruhi _lied_ to him? "_What_? There must be some mistake! She would never do something like that!" His mind raced with all sorts of explanations of the story. Maybe something was said that was misinterpreted or blown out of proportion? Or maybe…

"Let me speak with her. Immediately," Tamaki commanded.

She took his hands in hers. "She's not in the castle, Tamaki."

"Well, where is she, then?" he demanded.

"I told her I wouldn't put her in jail if she left right away, so she did."

He felt his body go numb. "How…?"

"I'm sorry," she sympathized with another stroke of his hair, "Some people just aren't who they seem to be."

Tamaki said nothing and continued to be in complete confusion and disbelief. She patted his hands and stood. "Try not to think about her and rest," she advised. "I have some matters to attend." She turned swiftly and left the room.

He continued to think in silence. Without looking up from his hands, Tamaki asked Nekozawa, "Has she left the city walls?"

"No," he replied.

Tamaki tried to think where Haruhi would go after leaving the castle. A gentle hand touched his arm and he saw it was the familiar young form of his mother. She didn't need to speak for Tamaki to reach his conclusion. "The twins," he muttered.

He stood quickly. "Mori! Honey!" he announced, "Meet me in the garden after I've finished my breakfast."

"What for?" Honey asked innocently.

Tamaki thought a moment about how to phrase his response. "I need to… take a little walk."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Tamaki adjusted the hood of his cloak around his face as he heard thunder rumble closer in the darkening sky. Both of his guards wore cloaks, as well, but left their hoods down to not draw attention. Neither asked the prince where they were going and simply followed in silence. The three had been walking in circles for hours with no results.

His mind was clouded from the news from his stepmother and throwing off his sense of direction. Tamaki couldn't remember where the Hitachiin home was or how to find it. Each time he thought he was on track, he soon realized he wasn't. His frustration was steadily growing despite his efforts to remain calm.

He finally snapped, "Mori, I need information."

"About what?"

"Where I can find the Hitachiin house. Now."

He asked no questions and grabbed the nearest passerby by the shirt and lifted him up to pin him against the wall. His naturally-low voice undoubtedly sounded gruff and intimidating to the young, unsuspecting boy even though it was neutral for him. "The Hitachiin house; where is it?"

The boy looked like he was going into shock. He couldn't form a tangible answer. "It-it's, uh-- I-I don't--"

A pair of hands gripped each of Mori's arms. He wondered if there had suddenly been a mirror placed between his arms because it appeared to be the same person on each arm.

"Put the kid down, wouldja?" they said in unison.

Mori didn't budge until Tamaki told him to release the child. As Honey attempted to calm the shaken boy with kind words, a happy smile, and candy; Tamaki tilted his hood back slightly to reveal to the twins who he was before replacing it.

"I've been looking for you two."

While Hikaru glared, he grumbled, "The dress isn't finished yet."

"This isn't about the dress--" Tamaki stopped as a thought hit him. "Wait… you don't' know? She hasn't told you?"

They replied together, "What are you talking about? We haven't seen Haruhi since she left for your place."

"So… she didn't come home last night or today?"

"No," Hikaru said in a manner one would assume he was speaking with an idiot.

Kaoru seemed to be catching on, unclouded by negative feelings toward the prince. "Wait, do you mean she isn't at the palace?"

"No…"

This caught Hikaru's attention.

Tamaki elaborated, "No one has seen her since last night, and my stepmother said she left…"

Kaoru and Mori grabbed Hikaru as his explosive anger launched him at the prince with an arm pulled back for a punch, swinging at the air within the grasps of the two. "What did you do to her, you bastard?" he barked. "I knew it! I _knew_ you'd take her away from us!"

"Hikaru," his brother pled to silence him.

He continued to tug on his controllers in attempts to reach the prince. "I told you we couldn't trust him, Kaoru! You're sick and a liar! The queen is even worse--"

"Now hold it right there," Tamaki snapped. His tone of voice silenced Hikaru and froze his struggling. The prince had never sounded so angry. "You can say _whatever_ you want about me. I don't care." He took a few steps closer to be sure he had eye contact with Hikaru. "But you will _never_ speak ill of my family like that in my presence _ever_ again, is that understood?"  
Hikaru scowled but said nothing.

"My stepmother may be strict and difficult to understand, but she is still a good person and my family. Only a coward would speak poorly about another behind their back, and I will not tolerate it." Tamaki waited a moment to see if either of the boys would react, but there was nothing. "Now, are you going to help me find out where Haruhi is or not?"

Hikaru pulled himself away from Kaoru and Mori roughly. Traces of his scowl remained, but it was greatly diluted with calm. He eyed Mori cautiously and moved to his brother's side protectively. "We don't know where she is," he said stiffly, keeping his gaze on the tall bodyguard.

"We can say for certain that she hasn't left the castle, though," Kaoru finished.

"How can you be sure?" Tamaki asked.

"She would have left through the front door, someone would have seen her, and whoever saw her would have told us," Kaoru explained.

"Would they have recognized her in those clothes and without her hat?"

He nodded. "The women at the monastery know her face well, and they know her secret. Haruhi has to be somewhere on the castle grounds."

"No one has left the castle in days. Period," Hikaru said before the prince could question his brother, "From anywhere."

Honey rejoined the conversation, having sent off the candy-filled boy. "Should we go home and look for her, then? It's starting to rain."

Indeed drops of rain began to fall from the sky steadily and increasing in size and speed rapidly. Tamaki ignored it for the time being. "In a moment," he replied.

The prince stood facing the twins in silence as the rain began to drench them. When his cloak was heavy with rainwater, Hikaru finally said, "If you search the palace top to bottom, we will turn the town inside out to find her."

"Just to be sure," Kaoru finished.

"Agreed," Tamaki replied. He shook hands with both twins to seal the deal.

Hikaru looked up at the sky after he shook the prince's hand, allowing the rain to pound on his face. A loud crash of thunder made him sigh. "Wherever she is, I hope she's out of this storm…"

Tamaki squinted up at the sky. "As do I…" He looked back to Kaoru. "When will the dress be finished?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," Kaoru answered. "You can stop by anytime after it's done. Someone should be home at all times."

He nodded. "I will try to send someone tomorrow, but I may not be able to." Tamaki nodded his head to the two in farewell. "Until next time," he said.

Mori and Honey moved to either sides of the prince and followed him when he turned to leave. They had no trouble finding the palace and snuck inside, leaving their wet cloaks with a servant. She soon returned with dry towels for each of them and bowed out to return to her duties.

Wasting no time, the three split up to search for Haruhi. It took hours to search every room she could be in, but there was no sign of her. Tamaki retreated to his bedroom to think, lying on his back on his bed. He considered what the twins had said.

Tamaki closed his eyes to listen to the rain beat down on the palace and the thunder crash outside. Maybe Haruhi left the castle and the twins didn't know. No one can see everything, and humans make mistakes. There was no way she could still be in the palace, right? Someone would have found her by now!

Kyoya knocked lightly before entering. "Any luck?" he asked as he entered.

"No," he replied. Tamaki listened while his advisor crossed the room to near the bed.

"Are you feeling ill again?"

"No, I'm just thinking. Maybe I need my medicine…"

"Your highness, I should tell you something."

Tamaki sat up to look at him. "What is it?"

"The other night, when Haruhi told us not to give you your medicine, she gave us a reason. I believe it wasn't entirely without basis, either."

"What did she say?"

"She said it would kill you."

"That's ridiculous! I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"That's my point… I haven't been giving you the same medicine the queen gives you. Since I stopped giving it to you, you have improved drastically. The queen doesn't know I haven't been giving you your medicine."

Tamaki stood. "Do you mean to say she has been making me sick?"

"I don't know, your highness. I do, however, believe whatever she says should be taken with a grain of salt since the recent events."

The prince pressed a hand to his head to stabilize the sudden bout of dizziness that hit him. He closed his eyes to fight it off. "Thank you," he stuttered, "You may go now."

A few moments after he heard the door shut, the vertigo finally vanished. His eyes hadn't opened, but he saw his mother—and felt her—grip his shoulders and say, "Hurry, Tamaki, follow me!"

His eyes snapped open in surprise. She was standing by the door and appeared nearly five years older than he by now. She phased through the door after signaling him to follow. He scrambled after her. "What are you doing?" he demanded as he chased her down the corridor to the stairs, "I'm in no mood for games!"

She led him through the palace to areas he had rarely ventured. She eventually walked through a door that was locked so he couldn't follow. The handle wouldn't budge. He had never been through it, so he didn't know who would have a key.

The form of his mother returned through the door. She grabbed his wrist and led it to the handle. This time, it unlocked when he tried to open it. She let go like his skin was a boiling pot of water and continued running down the stairs that were behind the door.

The stairs spiraled downward steeply. They passed several dimly-lit floors on their way down, each floor having a short hall and one cell. He didn't bother to see if any were occupied. Tamaki gradually began to hear sounds of rushing water, growing louder as they descended. He followed the form of his mother when she darted off to one of the hallways.

The water was roaring in his ears. He opened the door his mother stopped in front of. It opened and he saw a circular room with a long drop. Water fell like small waterfalls from the walls below him to the main body of water. The sounds of it falling echoed off the concrete walls and made it much louder.

"What is this?" he asked.

Through the roars of the water, he heard a faint, watery cough. Ignoring the ladder below him, Tamaki dove straight into the water below. Even if it was only a cough, he knew that voice and he knew by its sound that Haruhi wasn't in good shape. The movement of the water pushed him around within it and disoriented him. He had to open his eyes in the water to see which direction the surface was.

Once he surfaced for air, his head whipped around frantically. "Haruhi," he called.

Tamaki saw hands gripping at chains that drifted in and out of sight as water splashed up against the wall to cover them. He swam straight for where he saw them and dove under the water.

He saw Haruhi desperately—but weakly—jerking at the chains and trying to wriggle herself free to no avail. He immediately began to try to release her feet and noticed her movements slowing. Her feet were released quickly from the large cuff that bound both of her feet after her shoes had been removed. Tamaki returned to the surface for a large gulp of oxygen.

Returning underwater, he pinched her nose and pressed his lips to hers. In doing so, he forced the oxygen in his lungs into hers to keep her from drowning. Escaping bubbles drifted up between them, so he pressed his lips more firmly, knowing she needed all the oxygen she could obtain. He returned to the surface and, after he inhaled more oxygen for himself, he returned to trying to free her hands. When it became obvious he couldn't break the chains, he tried easing them out. They wouldn't budge.

Tamaki felt a warm pair of hands grab his and move them properly so Haruhi's hand slipped out of the chain. The same happened when he moved to the other hand. He took her straight to the surface and patted her back firmly to force water out of her airway. He began swimming for the ladder once he was sure she was breathing, however shallowly.

He carried her in front of him. To hold her securely, he alternated propping her on his knee and gripping her tightly with one arm. He had to proceed slowly to not drop her and be sure he wouldn't sip on the wet, slick metal ladder.

Once he reached the top, he pushed Haruhi up and onto her back to free his hands in order to hoist himself up. He was exhausted from the running, swimming, and climbing and it caused his body to shake from the stress. His hands and arms fumbled at the ledge to pull himself up, not quite responding to the commands his nervous system provided. His legs quickly followed suit and the prince wondered if he would be able to continue hanging on, no less climb out.

He looked up and saw the familiar form of his young mother on her knees at the ledge. She grabbed his upper arms and began to pull. Though it wasn't much, the grip of her warm hands steadied him enough so he could pull himself out. She disappeared as soon as he was out and he crawled to Haruhi's side.

"Haruhi," he panted, "Haruhi, can you hear me?"

He moved to her head and pulled her torso into his lap between his legs, leaning her forward to pat the water out of her lungs. With a final, firm clap, he quickly tilted her body to the side while she vomited out the water from her lungs. He kept his arms wrapped around her shoulders and back so she wouldn't fall over while she coughed out the liquid. Haruhi's hands gripped at the floor for stability once she came to with the increase of oxygen intake.

She breathed heavily to catch her breath after she was finished, and Tamaki leaned her back to rest against his chest. Her hands gripped his arms—which were barred across her shoulders to guide her movements—to fight vertigo when they left the floor in the transition backwards. She felt cold to the touch, so he moved his knees around her like a tent to keep her warm.

He pushed her dripping-wet hair out of her eyes so she wouldn't have water in them when they opened. "Haruhi, are you all right?" he whispered.

Her eyes cracked open to look around fuzzily. "Tamaki?"

"Yes, it's me," he replied.

Her body slid to the side and tilted in his grip, and her gaze attempted to settle on his face. "What the queen told you about me…" she panted.

Tamaki rubbed at her arms to warm her up, fearing she might have developed hypothermia or that she soon would. She hadn't continued what she was saying, so he wondered if she fell asleep. He was wrong.

"It isn't true," she finished.

He held her closer so his body enveloped hers, and he rested her forehead to his temple. "I know," he whispered.

Her head moved side-to-side. "There's something else."

"You don't have to explain--"

"Your medicine is making you sick," she said. Before he could interrupt, she continued, "The queen is trying to kill you."

"What?" He leaned back to look into her face.

Her eyes were closed. "She's going to kill you like she killed your mother."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Once the prince arrived to a part of the palace he knew he could be heard from, he sat to rest with Haruhi cradled in his lap. "Hey," he called down the corridor, "Somebody help! Kyoya! Nekozawa! Mori! Honey!"

He heard footsteps rushing in their direction, so he continued calling, "Over here! Hey!"

A servant arrived first. "Prince Tamaki!" she gasped.

He immediately sent her away to retrieve towels. His bodyguards arrived next. Honey went straight to Haruhi. "What happened?"

"Don't worry; she's just asleep," Tamaki assured. "I can't explain here."

"Are you all right?" Mori asked.

He nodded. "I'm fine. Help me up; I need to take her to her room."

"Let me take her," Mori offered.

"No," Tamaki insisted, "I'll do it."

Mori and Honey pulled him to his feet gently to not jostle Haruhi. Both escorted him to her suite; and they were joined by Kyoya, Nekozawa, and the servant with the towels on the way. The prince didn't speak until they were inside Haruhi's room and the door was securely closed behind them.

"Thank you, miss," he told the servant. "If you could retrieve as many heat packs as you can carry and bring them here, I will be very grateful and you may take the rest of the afternoon off."

"Thank you, your highness," she said with a bow before exiting to complete her next task.

"Kyoya, could you help me dry her off?" Tamaki asked.

He nodded and approached with a towel to rub over her hair and face gently to not wake her. "What happened? Where were you?"

"In one of the underground cells… she was chained in one and it was filling with rainwater," he whispered.

"Why was she in a cell?" he asked incredulously while he dried every place he could reach on her.

Tamaki shook his head. "I don't know; I didn't ask, but I think I can guess." Once he was satisfied enough of her had been dried, even though her clothes were still soaked, he asked, "Honey, pull the blankets back, please?"

After he did so, Tamaki laid her delicately on the bed and tried to wring the excess water in her clothes onto a towel to lessen the amount left on her body. He couldn't reach much without removing her clothes, so he replaced the blankets over her body for warmth. While he dried himself, the servant returned with the heat packs and placed them inside the blankets around Haruhi to warm her. As she left, Nekozawa entered with Kirimi and he carried a change of clothes for the prince.

"I thought you would want something dry to wear," he explained, "And Kirimi wanted to see Haruhi."

Tamaki eyed him while Kirimi went to Haruhi's bedside. "Nekozawa, I need to speak with you," he said, indicating with movement of his index finger for the mage to come closer. He led Nekozawa to the far side of the room and around the corner to stand in the smaller entrance area of the room that was out-of-sight of the people in the bedroom for some privacy.

"Did you know about this?" Tamaki asked as he firmly pointed in the direction of the bedroom.

He couldn't lie to the prince. "Yes," he deadpanned.

Fury hit the prince like a truck and he shoved Nekozawa against the wall, gripping him by the cloak. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was ordered not to," he replied calmly.

"Better excuse," he demanded in a snarl. "Who?"

"I can't tell you that, either," he said. Nekozawa calmly gripped the prince's wrists to remove them. "You of all people should understand that there are some people you would do anything for."

After the mage succeeded in prying Tamaki's hands from his cloak, he returned to the main area of the bedroom. "Kirimi, we should go so Haruhi can rest. You can come back when she's awake."

Tamaki realized the person Nekozawa was referring to instantly, and he had a feeling he knew who ordered him to keep quiet. Instead of asking questions, the prince went to the bathroom and changed into the dry clothes that were brought to him. By the time he returned to the bedroom, he found himself to be very tired and stifled a yawn.

"I have to rest," he told the three. "I need you two to stay guard outside this room and make sure no one comes in, _especially_ my stepmother. Don't tell anyone Haruhi is in here, either," he told Mori and Honey.

"Kyoya, you may come and go as you please, but I ask you to be quiet while you're in here."

He took that as a hint to leave for a while. Kyoya bowed out, "Yes, sir," and left.

Mori headed for the door, but he stopped to wait for his friend. Honey asked, "Do you need anything?"

"No, thank you," he replied. After the two left, Tamaki closed the large curtains to block out the light from the lightning strikes. He turned around and strode over to the bed. Haruhi appeared very at peace in her sleep, but she was shivering despite the blankets and heat packs. From what he knew about medicine, he was glad she was shivering because it meant her body was trying to raise its temperature.

He crawled in the bed beside her and under the blankets. Wriggling his arms around her icy neck and waist, he pulled her closet like a teddy bear to a child. Her head tilted to the side to rest against his chest, and he tilted his chin down to rest in her hair. He discovered she smelled very sweet like a fresh-cut rose. The scent relaxed him like a drug, and he sighed.

He nuzzled her hair. "Don't worry, Haruhi," he whispered, "I won't let her touch you." He squeezed her gently. "You're safe with me."

**xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****xXxX****x**

Haruhi pried her eyes open and attempted to focus on something through her haze. The room was dark, so her eyes had difficulty adjusting. She heard the light pitter-patter of rain outside, but no thunder. She didn't attempt to move because she felt heavy.

She made an involuntary, quiet moan when she drew a deep breath, staring at the ceiling. When she discovered the prince was sleeping at her side, she realized that was why she couldn't move easily. "What…?" she muttered with a croak.

Her throat and mouth felt very dry and sore. She remembered the water filling up, but little after that. She heard someone in the room move. Before she could react defensively, Kyoya assured soothingly, "It's just me. I didn't mean to wake you."

She cleared her throat quietly. "What happened?"

He neared the bedside so she didn't have to strain to see him. Kyoya removed his glasses to clean them on a handkerchief. "According to the prince, you nearly drowned."

"How did I get out?"

He indicated to the prince with his glasses as he raised them to place on his face. "Tamaki found you and pulled you out. He wouldn't let anyone else carry you or come in while you two slept."

"Then why are you in here?"

"He gave me permission to come and go as I please."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Since about six o' clock last night."

"What time is it now?"

"Eight-fifteen," he answered.

"Has Tamaki been sleeping this whole time, too?"

He shook his head. "He woke up a few times to check on you and make sure you were warm enough. He fell asleep after that again, though. It took a lot out of him. As I understand it, he hasn't been doing much sleeping until a few hours ago, anyway."

"Why?"

"He's been just laying there with you. He's been worried about you."

She waited a moment to let that sink in. Tamaki was worried about her. He didn't believe the queen—either that or he was mentally unstable for still caring for someone believed to want to kill him.

She felt thirsty and force of habit made her forget she could be waited on hand-and-foot here, so she began to sit up. Though she used caution to not disturb the prince's sleep, he woke almost instantly. He immediately looked around to see if anyone else was moving her, but he quickly realized she was moving because she was awake.

"Haruhi," he asked as he sat up to see her better, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right," she replied.

"Where are you going?"

"I was going to get a glass of water," she answered.

"Kyoya, get one for her, please," Tamaki said. While he did so, Tamaki helped Haruhi sit up. "Have the doctor brought in, as well. Say it's for me."

When he returned from the bathroom with a glass of water, he suggested, "Would you prefer I do it, your highness? If I find anything significant, I can call the doctor to treat it."

Haruhi received the glass with both hands to be sure not to drop the expensive-looking item. The water was refreshingly cold, and her mouth and throat sang in appreciation. "Very well," Tamaki said with a slight cringe at the sight of the girl's wrists.

Haruhi returned the empty glass to Kyoya with a quiet, "Thank you."

"Find her a comfortable set of clothes to change into," Tamaki requested. "I will go downstairs for breakfast to make an appearance. Kyoya, I want you to bring something up here for Haruhi to eat, but make sure word doesn't reach my stepmother."

Tamaki crawled out of the bed. "Haruhi, would you like a bath?"

"You don't have to--"

He held up his hand to silence her. "Would you like to take a bath or not?"

"Yes, bu--"

"All right, then," he said. Tamaki disappeared to the bathroom and started her bathwater.

Kyoya brought a neat, little stack of clothes into the bathroom that he'd gathered from the closet. When he exited the bathroom, he asked, "Do you have any preferences for breakfast?"

She shook her head. "No, anything is fine."

He nodded and left the room.

Haruhi huffed just as Tamaki rejoined her in the room. "Is something wrong?" He looked genuinely concerned and cross the room to feel her forehead.

"No," she insisted. She didn't move away when he pressed his palm to her forehead because she was too tired to do so.

"Then what is it?" he asked as he lowered his hand.

She sighed. "You really don't have to do all this for me. I don't know if I'm comfortable with it."

"Why?"

"I've always done it that way. It feels strange for others to wait on me," she explained.

"I'm sorry," he mended, feeling like a scolded puppy. "I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

Tamaki moved to her side to hook his arm around her waist and steady her by the arm with his free hand to help her stand. He was cautious not to touch her wrists. The tender skin was thinly caked in dry blood from the desperate attempts of escape and prolonged restraint in the harsh chains. He hoped her ankles didn't look the same; he hadn't bothered to look for injuries the night before.

"Everyone in the royal family and works closely with the royal family are taught to be good hosts early: Kyoya, Honey, Mori, Kirimi, myself…"

"And Nekozawa?"

He chuckled and then nodded. "More or less."

"I know the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families work for the palace, but what about Kyoya?"

"His father is the head doctor and his brothers are doctors, too." He steadied her on her feet carefully. "It's why I trust him to look over your injuries; he's learned from his family the basics in medical procedures."

Once he was certain she was steady, he released her. "Likewise, all of us learn to accept hospitality from others when it's given. It's basically a job requirement." He smiled brilliantly to lighten the mood and emphasize his point that she would have to grow accustomed to not doing everything herself.

He took two steps back to create space between them when he realized how close they were standing. He cleared his throat. "Mori will be outside the door if you need anything." He bowed politely. "Enjoy your bath."

Haruhi watched him leave the room before walking to the bathroom. It was very spacious and extravagant. The smells of the bath salts placed in her bathwater were lovely and soothing. She closed the door behind her and removed her clothes, peeling off the damp fabric slowly. Her muscles ached in protest to all the movement, but she insisted on herself that she had worse aches. Even the best thieves are caught and punished once and a while, after all.

She spotted her clothes and towel folded neatly next to the entrance to the in-floor bath. She held on to the ledge as she slowly descended the stairs for stability. The hot water immediately began to massage her sore muscles. Though the heat felt very good against her aching body, she decided to keep her bath short. She wanted to make sure she didn't fall asleep again since her entire stay in the cell was without sleep and she was still very tired.

She sat in the water and took a washcloth that sat by the edge into her hand. Dipping it in the water, she lifted it to her wrist and scrubbed gently at the dried blood. The skin was very tender and deadened skin flaked off with a little extra scrubbing. It began to bleed again in a few places, but she ignored the burning pain to move on to the other wrist.


	14. Chapter 13

**[Author's Note:]** Well, here's chapter 13... It's subject to change, but I thought I'd get it out to make some ppls days. I know what I want for the rest of the fan-fiction, but I'm still deciding how to post it so it may take a little extra time for me to post the next piece to this. Please be patient. Enjoy! **[/Author's Note]**

**Chapter 13**

Nekozawa passed the charmed bandage to Kyoya to wrap around Haruhi's wrist. It was the final bandage, and they would heal the skin more quickly as well as prevent scarring. The skin was torn deeper on this wrist than the other places and therefore intensified the sharp, stinging pain. She was careful not to move the arm they were working on, but her other hand clenched into a fist to cope with the pain. She concentrated on breathing and closed her eyes.

It didn't escape the prince's notice. He knew the rubbing alcohol had to be used so it wouldn't become infected, but he hated the pain he knew it caused her. Tamaki sat next to her on the couch and took her free hand into both of his. "Kyoya, can you go a little faster, please?" he asked.

"It's fine, Tamaki," Haruhi said, "It'll wear off in a minute or so. Wrapping it faster or slower won't make a difference."

Kyoya tied off the bandage gently. "Anything else hurting you, Haruhi?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

Kyoya handed her a glass of water, and he went to the window. He opened the curtains wide and propped the door open to allow fresh air in. "The king will be in meetings all day today, so you won't be able to speak with him until late this afternoon. Unfortunately, Mori, Honey, Nekozawa, and I also have meetings concerning your ball."

"What about it?" Tamaki asked.

"Scheduling, food, and security details," Kyoya elaborated, "It's just to double-check everything before more guests start arriving."

"That reminds me: give two of Renge's guards my crest and the address to the Hitachiin house so they can pick up Haruhi's dress." Tamaki stood to search his pockets for his crest. "Haruhi, you should write a note for Hikaru and Kaoru so they know you're all right. I'm sure they're very worried."

"Why would they be worried?" she asked as she lowered her glass.

"I went looking for you in town and told them I didn't know where you were."

Avoiding using her freshly-wrapped arm, she stood and searched the room. Kyoya directed her to the desk and pulled out a piece of paper and an ink pen. Haruhi sat in the desk chair and began to write. She kept the letter short and to-the-point. After she folded the piece of paper neatly, she turned around.

"I'm actually surprised you told Hikaru and your face hasn't been rearranged," she said with a smile. "And you're still in one piece!"

Tamaki chuckled nervously. "Actually, I needed a little help there."

Haruhi stifled a laugh. "I guess he was worried, after all, then." She stood from the desk and handed Kyoya the piece of folded paper.

Kyoya tucked it into his front pocket with Tamaki's crest. "We'd best be off," he announced.

"Kaoru said the dress wouldn't be finished until this afternoon; keep that in mind," Tamaki notified.

Kyoya nodded. "I assume you will be staying in here for the day, your highness?"

"Of course!" he replied as if it would be ridiculous not to.

The advisor nodded and bowed out.

Nekozawa said on his way out, "Kirimi will be studying all day, so she won't bother you."

When the door closed behind them, Haruhi walked to the bed and began to arrange the blankets appropriately. "You know you don't have to stay in here, right?"

Though he didn't know exactly how, he went to the other side of the bed to assist. "Since Mori and Honey are no longer outside, there is no chance I'm leaving you in here alone. I won't let something like that happen to you again; not on my life."

"The queen I can handle. It's her guards that I have trouble with," she said.

When she saw the comment hadn't lightened his mood, she sighed and looked up at him. He noticed she had stopped making the bed and looked up. The corners of her lips twisted up into a small smile of gratitude. "Thank you," she granted.

As soon as he returned the smile, she continued making the bed and half-scolded, "Don't you do anything other than worry? I think you might be worse than my dad!"

Her smile told him she was joking, so he didn't react seriously to the comment. It did, however, stir a thought in him. "Haruhi…?"

"Yeah?" she prodded as she worked.

"Do you think…" he groped for words, "… your father will approve of me?"

She glanced up while she straightened a pillow and the blankets around it. "What do you mean? Are you wondering if he'll like you?"

He began to flatten the blanket gently with his palms. "Well," he muttered, "Yes."

Her hands mimicked his on her side of the bed. "He's pretty protective, but I'm sure he'll love you once he gets to know you."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "He might not be in a good mood after being in prison…"

She stopped and rounded the bed. "Don't worry about it," she said. "He--"

A knock echoed at the door and the queen's voice drifted inside. "Tamaki," she called sharply, "Are you in there? Open this door!"

He grabbed Haruhi by the arm and quickly pushed her into the closet. "Stay in here no matter what and be quiet," he whispered. Tamaki swung the door shut, making as little noise as possible.

He went to the door and opened it. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize I locked it. What brings you here?"

"Curiosity," she said tartly, "And you? You should be in bed."

"I was…" He glanced around. "I was looking to see if maybe Haruhi left anything that needed immediate disposal."

Her face melted into a soft smile. It made him feel sick how much it looked like his mother's. "You shouldn't trouble yourself with things like that. I'll have Nekozawa search the room; he knows what to look for, anyway."

"I suppose you're right," he said.

Haruhi watched through the sliver of space left visible from the barely-open closet door. Tamaki appeared to be turning a thought over in his mind carefully. Hs eyes lit up when he no longer seemed to be thinking.

"I was thinking," he suggested, "Maybe I should have my medicine changed again."

"Why? You have been getting better, haven't you?"

"I've thought about that." Tamaki sat on one of the small couches and crossed his legs. "Maybe something in it wasn't equally mixed among the other parts of the medicine, and maybe that is what has been making me well again."

She sat next to him on the couch but didn't appear so comfortable. "Perhaps this medicine is only beginning to work; it needs more time."

He cast her a sidelong gaze. "How many more doses did I need to kill me?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked innocently.

He brushed off the innocence without a second thought. He wouldn't fall for it. "Why did you hate my mother?"

She appeared to answer without thought. "She took everything from me," she snapped.

"How?"

The queen stood abruptly. By her distant gaze, Tamaki and Haruhi could see she had disappeared into her own little world. "She always got everything she wanted, and I got nothing. Daddy's little girl always got it because she was sick," she spat. She took a shaky, anger-filled breath. "And she just couldn't stand that something could actually be _mine_."

Tamaki knew better. Even though she had them, his mother never flaunted her possessions. If she had them showered upon her like his stepmother was saying, it wasn't because she wanted to outdo her sister. "What was it?"

"At my own engagement party…" she muttered. She turned to pace back and forth in front of the couch. "Do you know _I_ had been the assigned bride for your father? Then my _sister_," she said the word like she had just eaten rotten fish, "came downstairs, and it was over the moment he saw her."

Tears welled in her eyes. "I hoped she would simply become too sick and pass away on her own…" Her expression turned angry. "But I knew since she had you that she just. Wouldn't. _Die_… Soon the kingdom will be yours…"

The prince's eyes were wide, unable to believe what he was hearing. As a result, he couldn't react fast enough when she lurched toward him to wrap her hands around his throat. His hands flew up to grip her wrists to lessen the force. He could still breathe, so he wasn't worried about being overpowered. What frightened him was the wild look of insanity in his stepmother's eyes.

He shoved her off. "Don't touch me!" Tamaki rose from the couch and backed away to remove himself from her reach. He had defended this woman to the twins, and he believed she truly wanted what was best for him. His gaze flickered to the closet door where Haruhi was beginning to open it.

Coincidentally the queen reached for him again as he told Haruhi, "No," so the queen didn't notice.

To be sure the queen wouldn't discover Haruhi's hiding place, Tamaki backed out onto the balcony to further himself from the closet. He thought there would be nothing for her to pin him against, but he didn't consider the usage of the drop over the railing. He also couldn't see the sharp letter-opener clutched in her grasp, unlike Haruhi.

She ran out and grabbed the hand wielding the letter-opener. Haruhi wrenched the arm with the energy from her brief adrenaline rush to force the queen to drop it with a pained squawk. The queen whirled around to see who had interfered and her face burned red with fury.

"_You_," she snarled, "What are you doing here?"

Haruhi didn't reply and soon found herself holding the queen's arms in defense. Haruhi was smaller than the queen and still very tired, so the woman managed to have Haruhi turned and began to slowly push her toward the railing.

While Tamaki attempted to progress what had just occurred with the hidden weapon, the queen spat, "I knew I should have made sure you were dead! You should have minded your own business, you street filth, then you wouldn't have to die with him."

At the last few words, Tamaki was immediately returned to the situation. They were past him, the queen's back to him as she tried to force Haruhi over the side. In a panic, he shoved his stepmother as hard as he could in attempt to distance her from Haruhi. The push knocked her over the edge—slippery from the falling rain—still clinging to Haruhi's arms from trying to remove them from her path.

Tamaki caught Haruhi by her left hand, it having freed during the jerk from the impact of the rail. He gripped at her wrist and elbow with all his strength, holding his balance at the rail. In Haruhi's other hand, the queen clung to her elbow with both hands. Haruhi held on to both as tight as she could, but the queen still sipped down her arm slowly because of the rain.

Even though the queen had ruined many lives, she was still a part of Tamaki's family. Even if she wasn't, Haruhi knew every life is precious. This is why she didn't let go. "Hold on," Haruhi gasped.

There was no fear in the queen's eyes, only rage. It burned into Haruhi as she watched the woman's face. "If I go," she growled as she slipped farther down Haruhi's arm, "you're coming with me."

Her hands squeezed Haruhi's wrist viciously. In reaction, Haruhi yelped in pain and both of her hands released what they had been gripping. While Tamaki held firm on her arm, the queen slipped right off Haruhi's arm over the five-story drop.

Haruhi turned to tuck her face into her arm so she wouldn't have to watch. Tamaki flinched when he heard his stepmother's body _crunch_ with the force of the impact, but he kept his gaze on Haruhi. Without the extra weight, he managed to pull her up and over the railing quickly.

He pulled her close to him while she cradled her wrists to her chest. He wrapped his arms around her back and neck. "Thank you," he whispered.

Tamaki blinked back his tears. He found he was more upset about almost losing Haruhi than the loss of his stepmother or the danger he had just been in. He felt her hair growing more wet in the falling rain from beneath his fingers.

He created a small space between them to look down at her hands. "Are you all right?" He released her to reach for her hands. Protective muscles flexed like a magnet to hold her arm to her body, but Tamaki gently pulled it into his view.

The wrist the queen had been holding was beginning to bleed through the bandages, and it had just happened to be the more-injured wrist of the two. The bandages were askew and clinging to the skin around her wrist much too tight to be comfortable. To relieve the pressure, he began unwrapping her wrist. He froze when he felt a familiar, warm palm rest over his.

"I got it," he muttered as he proceeded unwrapping. He tried to tune out her presence to focus. He didn't notice Haruhi staring at the woman in disbelief.

When he unwrapped the wrist completely, the warm hands of his mother closed softly around Haruhi's wrist. After a few seconds, she released Haruhi's wrist to show the skin was completely healed. She then took Tamaki's hand and guided it to Haruhi's. Once she was sure the two were holding hands in her grasp, she moved her hands away. Tamaki then realized Haruhi could see her, as well.

She smiled warmly at the two. "Thank you," she told Haruhi, "Take care of him."


	15. Chapter 14

**[Author's Note] **The dress Haruhi is wearing during the ball is similar to the dress she wore in episode 26 of the anime. The tuxedo Tamaki wore during the ball is based off the one he wore during the party in episode 2. To those of you who have been reading the manga and not the anime, I can't honestly say if/when Haruhi wore the dress, but the party I am talking about (for Tamaki's tux) is the one where Haruhi has to learn the waltz in one week. I don't remember if that was even in the manga or not... Ugh _ I need to re-read what I've read and then continue reading! Anyway, enjoy chapter 14! After this will just be the epilogue. Thank you for all the views and comments (before or after the epilogue is out) feel free to ask me any questions if you're still confused about something! **[/Author's Note]**

**Chapter 14**

Haruhi brushed her hair like Renge had instructed before she left for the ball. With her free hand, she straightened the diamond necklace Tamaki had left in her room that morning as a gift. She set down the brush when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called.

She heard the door open and Mori entered the room. "I'm here to escort you downstairs to the ball," he announced politely.

She stood from her place in front of the vanity. Joining him by the door, she slipped on her shoes. "All right," she declared as she looked up, "I'm ready."

Mori opened the door and allowed her to step out before him. He followed and closed the door behind them. Once he was at her side, he raised his elbow for her to take. She accepted it, and he escorted her through the palace. When they neared the ballroom, he ended the contact and bowed respectfully.

"I will announce your arrival. Wait here a moment," he said. "Remember to walk slowly."

He entered the ballroom while she remained to the side of the large doors. Mori stood tall at the top of the stairs and called attention as the music faded from the song's conclusion.

"Presenting: Lady Haruhi," he announced to the room.

Haruhi moved to the top of the grand staircase. All eyes in the room were on her, and she suddenly felt like hiding out of reflex. Whenever she had this much attention in her day-to-day life, it was because she was in major trouble. With a glance at Mori, she held her head high and focused on a point above the orchestra. She drew a deep breath and began to descend the stairs.

Kyoya made a mark on a piece of paper he was carrying from his place in the crowd to keep track of which guests had arrived. He touched the prince's shoulder since he was preoccupied by a few flirtatious guests and his nerves. "Prince Tamaki," he muttered, "your guest has arrived."

He spun around to face the staircase. He immediately saw the pink dress Mrs. Hitachiin created from the design of his mother's. He was very happy the seamstress took his suggestions into consideration. The bow in her hair was smaller, as was the one at the dip in her neckline on her chest. The ruffles were less drastic in this dress and fewer to make it much more flattering and classy. To show the necklace better, the neckline of the dress had been lowered to reveal more of her neck. He could see from where he stood that the piece of hair within the bow was barrel-rolled to accent the decoration.

"Excuse me," he mumbled as his feet pulled him quickly to the staircase, weaving expertly through the crowd of guests like it was a maze he'd unconsciously memorized. His eyes never left her face and his feet didn't stop until he realized he had scaled the first few stairs.

By then she was close enough to the bottom of the stairs to feel comfortable enough to look at the people. In moments, her gaze found Tamaki's dazzling white suit, pink under-shirt, lilac purple vest, and violet vest that matched his eyes. For a moment, she felt like glancing behind her because of the way he gaped up the stairs. When her eyes met his, she realized it was her he was staring at. A tiny smile tugged at her lips as she glanced down at the stairs to be sure she wouldn't trip.

He lifted one knee up and held a hand out to her. "Would you like to dance?"

The orchestra began to play instantly and she took his hand. He led her out onto the dance floor and positioned his hands at her waist and in her right hand whiles her left hand rest on his shoulder. She looked down at their feet.

"Uh, Tamaki," she whispered, "I don't know how to waltz."

"I'll go slowly," he said, "Just don't watch your feet." She looked up instantly. "And follow my lead."

He moved his feet slowly so she could keep up. She caught on quickly, but uncertainty made her movements jerky. Tamaki decided to distract her. "You look lovely tonight," he complimented.

"Thanks," she replied. "You look… white?"

He laughed. "I thought it would look good with your dress."

"It doesn't look bad," she attempted to mend, thinking she had insulted him.

"I know what you meant," he assured. Music filled the silence for what felt like a long time until Tamaki ventured back into conversation. "Haruhi, have you made your decision about after tonight?"

She paused a moment before replying, "Yes."

"And what did you decide? I won't think less of you either way you choose and you're always welcome here."

"I know," she said to the generous comments. "And I decided--"

Tamaki halted his feet and turned his head to see who had tapped on his shoulder. He forced a smile on his face, almost effortless from years of practice. "Lady Eclaire," he greeted.

Haruhi removed her hands from their positions on the prince while Eclaire wrapped her arms around one of his, ignoring his dance partner's presence. "You have some explaining to do, Prince Tamaki. What is this party for? Aren't you happy your father chose me?"

"Even if my bride has been chosen, I am entitled to have a ball like this whether I am satisfied with it or not. My father told me so when I was young," he said, "And I always love a good party."

Haruhi watched Tamaki look away from Eclaire like he would much rather be somewhere else while the girl continued to cling possessively. Something about her nagged at Haruhi, and she realized what when she pictured Tamaki with his father's brown hair and saw Eclaire smile with the same sneering undertone of the prince's late stepmother.

Eclaire finally acknowledged Haruhi. "Who's this?"

Haruhi gripped Tamaki's free hand and weaved her fingers into his. "Haruhi Fujioka," she announced to the girl firmly. Her decision had been reaffirmed. To Tamaki, she said confidently, "I will."

He seemed very confused even as she began to drag him away from Eclaire, out of the ballroom, and through the palace. He didn't ask any questions until they neared the dungeons. "What are we doing?" he asked.

"I thought we should tell my dad before the rest of your guests."

It took almost five full seconds for him to understand what she was talking about. His eyes lit up. "Really?"

She smiled back at him. As soon as they hit the main stretch of cells, she called, "Dad? Dad, where are you?"

"Haruhi?" his voice replied from down the hall.

Tamaki took the keys from the attending guard and sprinted down the hall while Haruhi repeated, "Where are you?"

"Over here," he called.

Tamaki skidded to a stop so he wouldn't pass the cell. He saw the family resemblance in the man at the front of the cell. He began to work the fidgety lock. "I'm so sorry about this, Mr. Fujioka--"

He cut him off when he saw his daughter. "Haruhi!" He grew confused. "What are you doing here?"

"To get you out," she answered, "and to tell you I'm going to be getting married."

His eyes bugged out of his head. "What?"

The door opened and he immediately stomped on Tamaki's foot vengefully. While the prince yelped and began to cradle his injured foot as he jumped around in place, Haruhi's father ran to her for an embrace. "Aren't you awfully young…?" he asked.

"You were younger when you married Mom," she countered.

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Yes," she replied.

He sighed as he released her from the hug. "Who is he?"

Tamaki straightened as much as he could and swallowed back the pain from his foot. He smiled in a pained grimace and held out his hand as Haruhi indicated to him. "Tamaki Suoh, sir," he introduced himself, not bothering to wipe away the traces of tears threatening to form in the corners of his eyes.

He twisted his eyebrows and looked at her in a "you-must-be-joking" way. "Are you sure?" he asked again in a begging tone.

"Positive," she replied firmly.

"Ryuoji Fujioka," he groaned and shook Tamaki's hand.

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"So what was she? Weren't those things just because of the poison?" Haruhi passed Nekozawa the bowl of mashed potatoes. She had requested a private lunch with him to ask him these questions.

"Judging by your story," he replied as he accepted the food, "I would say she was a spirit rather than an illusion."

"Then why could only Tamaki see her for all that time?"

"The poison most likely heightened his senses. The illusions he saw were forms of his inner thoughts and fears put into physical form—to him, anyway—so it made him susceptible to seeing her spirit."

She stirred sugar in her iced tea. "Then why could I see her? And wasn't the poison out of him by then?"

"He could still see her because it most likely wasn't fully out of his system yet." He began to cut his ham. "You saw her because your energy is so identical to what hers was." Nekozawa smirked up at her and added, "And because she wanted both of you to see her."

When he saw her look down at her food pensively, he called her attention. "You should feel honored to have met her. She really was a wonderful person, and to receive her blessing is a blessing within itself."

Reassured, she smiled. "Thanks."

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Haruhi's hands fidgeted while she paced in the room she had been assigned to wait in. She was nervous and her thoughts were racing uncontrollably. She knew she was sure she wanted to do this, but the officiality of it all made her uneasy. How was she supposed to adjust from living on the street to ruling the country as a queen? Unlike Tamaki, she hadn't been raised to do something like this.

A knock echoed on the door, interrupting her thoughts.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," Hikaru's voice replied.

So they had decided to come, after all. "Come in," she called.

He entered, wearing a dazzling tuxedo. It felt strange to see him in something so formal, but it looked good on him. She went to him immediately to hug him.

"I'm so glad you came; it makes me feel so much better," she whispered. "Where's Kaoru?"

"He's upstairs waiting for me." He looked up and down her clothing and face. "That looks really nice on you."

"Thanks," she replied, "You look nice, too."

Hikaru took both of her hands in his and stared at them. "Are you sure about all of this?"

She laughed hollowly. "It feels like everyone is asking me that."

"Well, are you?"

"Yes."

"Oh," he muttered. His ear twitched slightly as he heard faint footsteps approach. Wrestling his courage quickly into one place, Hikaru leaned in and dropped a light kiss on Haruhi's cheek and whispered, "I love you," into her ear.

He dropped her hands and left for the door to avoid looking at her surprised expression. He closed his eyes to turn around and force a smile. "I'd better get upstairs. It's been a good ride. Living together here will be interesting, to say the least."

Hikaru turned, opened his eyes, and proceeded out the door. He didn't stop when he passed Haruhi's father on the stairs, and he continued up to join his brother.

Her father continued downstairs to see Haruhi. He knocked lightly on the open door. "Are you ready, Haruhi?"

She walked up to him and straightened his necktie to calm her remaining fidgeting. "Yeah, I'm ready," she replied.

"Then let's go upstairs. Everyone's waiting for us," he said. He offered his arm to her as escort and she took it. He led her out of the room and up the stairs. They lined up behind the two bridesmaids: Renge and Kirimi.

Haruhi's eyes drifted to the crowd and she immediately saw fiery-red hair that belonged to none other than the Hitachiins. Hikaru was watching her, but he smiled to himself before turning to face the front when her eyes met his. She stared at the back of his head a few moments while Kirimi walked down ahead of her.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It isn't too late," her father whispered. He sounded hopeful, but she knew there was a hint of teasing there.

Haruhi looked away from Hikaru and set her eyes on Tamaki. He smiled when he saw her. She smiled in return. "I'm very sure."

The wedding march cuing their entrance began to play and they started walking up the aisle slowly. He released her arm with a light kiss on the cheek to return to his seat and allow Tamaki to escort her to the altar. She glanced over at her smiling bridesmaids and then to the two groomsmen. Honey grinned happily and Kyoya nodded encouragingly. She turned her attention to the priest.

Most of the sermon didn't enter her ears. She turned when needed and recited the bible verse they had chosen to speak together. Only when the vows began did she really pay attention. After she said, "I do," she saw Tamaki's cheeks tint pink as he recited his lines.

Her hand tingled as he slid the ring—which Kyoya supplied with a smirk and a, "Forget something?"—over her finger. "I do," he declared.

"You may kiss the bride," the priest announced.

Tamaki squeezed Haruhi's hands gently in his grip and leaned in. "I love you," he murmured.

"I love you, too," she replied.

She glanced out the large panels of glass that revealed the painted sky from the sunset. It was the perfect time for a wedding, especially for two so different people. The sky was beautiful and the glass and landscape outside it provided an unobstructed view.

The prince caught her gaze. "It looks like gold around the sun, doesn't it?" he whispered.

"That's what happens when the day meets the night," she said, remembering the words her mother chose when she said the same thing as a child.

He smiled and closed the distance between them for a sweet kiss to end the ceremony.


	16. Epilogue

**[Author's Note]** The song mentioned is the music usually played during an awesome scene of Romeo x Juliet -just finished watching the anime and lurved it- It can be heard here. ( h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = d W T n q Q 9 - G p c ). Personally, I love the song and I have actually almost fallen asleep listening to it (and that's saying something because I can never get that lulled while listening to music). I will not be working on fan-fictions for a while because I will be working on my book so it may be a little while until anything comes up. Trust me when I say there are many ideas waiting in the wings to be written so writer's block for ideas shouldn't be a problem when I come back at full-speed. Enjoy the epilogue and thank you so much for all the reviews, comments, and favoriting! **[/Author's Note]**

**Epilogue**

Haruhi rushed out of her bedroom in a near-panic. "Tamaki," she called loudly, "Mori! Honey!" She rushed down the hall and began to zip down the main staircase.

Kaoru stepped out from around a corner. "Haruhi, what's wrong?"

"Where's Tamaki?" she asked quickly. "I can't find the--"

Tamaki followed Kaoru's entrance, balancing a ten-month-old baby on his hip. "He's right here, don't worry," he assured.

She sighed a breath of relief and relaxed instantly. "You scared me." She combed her fingers through her hair as she walked calmly the rest of the way down the stairs. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked tired so I thought I'd let you sleep in for once," Tamaki replied. "And you didn't oversleep by much, really."

The brown-haired baby boy held out his arms for Haruhi, leaning drastically out of his father's arms. "Mom-mom," he gurgled.

Tamaki chuckled and passed the baby to Haruhi. "We were just too excited to sleep as long as you."

She set the boy on the bump known as her abdomen to hug the excited child. "I worry," she admitted matter-of-factly.

"Then don't," Tamaki replied. "I can handle things once and a while, too."

Kaoru led the way to the dining hall to resume eating his breakfast. Tamaki and Haruhi entered the dining hall behind him, and Haruhi greeted, "Good morning, Hikaru."

He was standing from his seat, finished with his food. "'Morning," he echoed. He approached Haruhi as she sat down to eat. "Since you guys have to head out soon, why don't I take him while you eat and get ready?"

"If you want," Haruhi answered.

Hikaru held his hands out. "Want to play with Uncle Hikaru?" he cooed.

The boy gurgled happily and stretched his arms up to Hikaru from his mother's lap, convincing Haruhi to pass him over. "Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied. When he turned and walked away, he puffed out his cheeks for the baby to giddily poke. As the air deflated, Hikaru made a noise with his lips that sent the boy into fits of laughter. The two repeated the exercise several times on the way out of the room.

Tamaki took a seat near her and unfolded a napkin in his lap. "He's an energetic one," he smiled at the thought of his son.

Flattening a napkin in her lap, she glanced in the direction Hikaru had left. "I'm so glad they get along like that. Hikaru really likes Aisoku."

"It's a wonder he likes anyone other than your dad with how much he tries to smother the poor kid," he teased. "At least Hikaru is spending more time with him now."

She laughed before transferring a few pancakes to her plate. "How long do we have until the grand opening? I didn't look at a clock."

"We have plenty of time to eat, get dressed, and take a carriage over," he assured.

Kaoru poked at his food. He was on a strict diet of fruit and vegetables. A recent illness had drained him of his iron and vitamins, so he was required to stay on this diet to regain optimum health. Hikaru had stayed with him the entire time, which is the reason he had not been spending time with Aisoku. He ate sparsely at the remnants on his plate. The menu options for him didn't interest him. He concluded to delay the action with conversation.

"It's really great that you're opening up orphanages and shelters in the kingdom," Kaoru commented.

"Tamaki's mother gave me the idea," she replied in a garble from the food in her mouth. Swallowing the chewed piece of pancake, she took a drink to clear her throat. "I'm just glad the first one is finally finished!"

"Did you name it after your mother?" he asked.

"No, actually," she said with a distant gaze into her pancakes, "I'm waiting for the first shelter for her. I decided to name the first orphanage after someone else."

"Who?"

She speared a piece of pancake with her fork. "Naomi," she muttered.

Kaoru didn't seem to know how to respond and glanced to the king for assistance. Tamaki reacted to both by reaching his hand across the table to take Haruhi's. When she looked up, he smiled.

"I think that's a wonderful name," he said.

She smiled sheepishly back. "Thank you."

Kaoru quickly finished off his breakfast to meet his doctor for a checkup on his condition. "Have fun at the grand opening," he announced, "You'll have to let me know how it went when you get back."

"We will," Tamaki replied.

"I hope your appointment goes well," Haruhi added.

He nodded and rose from his seat. Kaoru stacked his dishes neatly to ease the servants' cleanup, and he left the dining hall.

Haruhi ate her breakfast quickly so she would have extra time to dress and assure her son was ready, as well. Tamaki had already dressed so he had their transportation prepared in his extra time. Haruhi relieved Hikaru of Aisoku so he could be present during Kaoru's appointment as he wished.

In her room, she slipped on a simple, earth-green maternity dress that Mrs. Hitachiin made for her in her last pregnancy. She slipped a navy-blue pair of shorts on Aisoku with a canary-yellow shirt. She didn't attempt to put socks or shoes on him because he was apparently on a quest to remove them to play with his feet lately, and she didn't want to lose the clothing in the process. After putting yellow ribbons on her low pigtails whose color matched her son's shirt, she scooped him up and left the bedroom.

Once she arrived in the main hall, she set Aisoku down on the floor to stretch his legs since he was growing antsy. She knelt on the floor beside him to support his hands while he practiced standing. She waited and waited for Tamaki to appear and wondered where he could be.

Little to her knowledge, he had been waiting around the corner to enter and sat at the piano while escaping his wife's attention. His fingers began to glide along the keys blissfully and naturally without thought. It was one of his favorites that he remembered his mother would ask him to play when she wanted to sleep or relax.

Aisoku was the first to notice it and pulled at his mother in the piano's direction. Haruhi gently lowered his hands to the floor so he could crawl quickly to the piano bench while she followed on foot. She watched him grab the seat and wobble to his feet, bouncing happily side-to-side with a wide grin. Standing behind them, she smiled and listened.

"What song is this?" she asked quietly to not interrupt.

"It's called 'Deai,'" he answered. Tamaki smiled to himself. "It means something along the lines of 'fateful encounter,' I believe."

"It's beautiful."

Haruhi scooped up her son to sit in her lap when she sat on the bench to Tamaki's left. After watching his father's fingers press the keys, Aisoku was inspired to try, as well. He lifted both hands into the air and brought them down dramatically on the keys. The noise made him giggle and laugh excitedly, so he did it again. He found it so fascinating that his hands quickly became like jumping beans over the instrument.

Tamaki quieted his song to a halt to allow his son the pleasure of banging away at the piano. He smiled over at Haruhi and wrapped his arms around her waist, his right hand resting on her round abdomen in the space between her and their son in his place on her knee. She rested her head against his shoulder.

"Kyoya said it's going to be a girl," Tamaki said. "Have you thought of a name?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. You?"

He shook his head, as well.

Aisoku looked back at them and chirped, "Look! Look!"

Tamaki nodded and said enthusiastically, "I see! Hey, try this." He removed his arms from Haruhi to lift his son up, meeting a brief shriek of protest, and set him on his own lap. "Now try."

He hit the keys again and squealed in delight at the difference in pitch. Both parents smiled at his joy. Tamaki put his arm around Haruhi and began to stroke her bangs gently, nuzzling her hair. Smells from her strawberry shampoo filled his nose.

Kyoya entered and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, your majesties: the carriage is ready."

"Are you ready?" Tamaki asked.

Haruhi looked up at him, allowing his hand to fall from her face to her neck. "Yes."

He pressed his lips to her exposed forehead. "All right."


End file.
